Living in a multisensory world entails building an online representation of the reality by continuously processing sensory information from the environment. For example, when we plan to move, we unconsciously simulate the movement and the current state of our body (proprioception) influences the characteristics of the simulation. Current computational models provide theorizations on how similar sensations are processed and integrated, but to date the influence of touch on movement simulation is largely unknown.
In this SeMoLa project I push forward previous work, investigating the role of tactile sensory changes on mental simulation of movements in healthy conditions. In particular I use movement simulation protocols to test the influence of experiencing or not tactile stimulation during the movement simulation.
Thanks to the data recorded, we will be able to better understand the mechanisms of sensorimotor integration and the nature of their interaction with tactile information processing.
Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa) 