Project description
The role of temperature on body awareness
Body awareness is a multisensory process that involves the integration of signals from the outside, such as sight, with internal signals, such as temperature, which provide an indication of the inner body state. Researchers of the EU-funded Homeothermic Self project are interested in understanding the mechanism by which these signals are combined at the anterior insula of the brain to provide coherent body awareness. Using functional MRI, they aim to provide neuroimaging evidence that is currently lacking. The project will also investigate the specific contribution of temperature to body sensing, with important implications for neurological and psychiatric conditions characterised by lack of body awareness.
Objective
HOMEOTHERMIC SELF builds upon well-established behavioural and neuroimaging methodologies of multisensory integration and recent interoceptive theories to investigate the role of temperature perception in body ownership. The maintenance of optimal body temperature is a survival requirement for all homeothermic mammals, including humans. Temperature has been re-defined as an interoceptive modality, since it provides information about the internal state of the body. Interoceptive signals seem to be integrated with exteroceptive signals from the whole body in the anterior insula to give rise to body awareness, but neuroimaging evidence is still sparse. My first objective is to elucidate the role of visuo-thermal, interoceptive congruency to the sense of body ownership by means of a bodily illusion, i.e. Rubber Hand Illusion, RHI. Next, I aim to investigate the specific contribution of temperature signals to the sense of body ownership by eliciting the RHI using heat lamps, which allow to specifically activate thermal skin receptors. Finally, I will use fMRI to reveal the neural mechanisms responsible for the integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals. This project can offer a unique insight into the process that gives rise to a coherent multisensory awareness of the body. As such, it will provide fundamental advance in the fields of body representation, interoception, consciousness and multisensory research. In light of my previous clinical experience, I anticipate that the results might have important implications for neurological and psychiatric conditions characterised by lack of body awareness (e.g. right-hemisphere stroke and eating disorders). My research background in interoception and body awareness combined with the excellent environment of Karolinska Institute, and Prof. Ehrsson expertise in multisensory integration and neuroimaging methods, will provide the perfect synergy to enhance my skills and successfully complete the project.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology stroke
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.