Can We Induce a Cognitive Representation of a Prosthetic Arm by Means of Crossmodal Stimuli?

Abstract

The ownership feeling of our body occurs mainly due to feedback responses in real-time from environment stimuli to our own body. These constant feedbacks induce a neuronal arrangement, generating a representative map and, consequently, an ownership and unity feeling, named as a body schema. Although there is a relative well knowing of the sensorial mapping about each part of our body, there are still several gaps about how the integration of all this representation is indeed accomplished. Many researchers have shown high rates of prosthesis non-acceptance due to different reasons. Here, the authors discuss an experimental protocol to induce optimally the ownership feeling associated with upper limb prosthesis, by means of a crossmodal vibro-tactile stimulation over the individual's body. The main hypothesis is that through this procedure the participant will extend their proprioception and achieve an ownership feeling of the prosthesis.