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Peripersonal and reaching space differ: Evidence from their spatial extent and multisensory facilitation pattern
A Zanini1,2, I Patané3,4, E Blini3,4,5
1ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon, France. alessandro.zanini@inserm.fr.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|June 23, 2021
Summary
Peripersonal space (PPS) is smaller than arm-reaching space (ARS). This study distinguishes PPS and ARS, revealing PPS
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- Peripersonal space (PPS) is a crucial multisensory representation near the body, guiding interactions with the environment.
- Existing research suggests PPS is body-part centered, but its distinction from arm-reaching space (ARS) remains unclear.
- Confusion persists regarding the precise extent and behavioral characteristics differentiating PPS and ARS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly contrast the spatial extent and behavioral features of peripersonal space (PPS) and arm-reaching space (ARS).
- To investigate the underlying coding mechanisms of PPS and ARS using multisensory facilitation paradigms.
- To refine theoretical models of PPS by clarifying its relationship with ARS.
Main Methods:
- Five experiments (N=140) utilized gold-standard tasks and a novel multisensory facilitation paradigm to map PPS and ARS.
- Multivariate analyses examined spatial patterns of multisensory facilitation in relation to hand position.
- A control experiment ruled out attentional orienting as the primary driver of observed multisensory facilitation.
Main Results:
- Peripersonal space (PPS) was found to be significantly smaller than arm-reaching space (ARS).
- Multisensory facilitation patterns within ARS predicted hand locations, demonstrating hand-centered coding of PPS.
- ARS mapping revealed a larger spatial extent with consistent patterns across hand positions, unlike PPS.
Conclusions:
- Peripersonal space (PPS) and arm-reaching space (ARS) are distinct spatial representations with differing extents and coding.
- PPS exhibits hand-centered coding, functionally similar to multisensory neurons observed in primates.
- These findings necessitate a refinement of theoretical models concerning PPS, impacting self-representation and motor control.
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