https://www.pisavisionlab.org Research centre dedicated to frontier, interdisciplinary research of human perception Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:32:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.13 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/the-role-of-motor-effort-on-the-sensorimotor-number-system/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:13:24 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4935 Psychological Research The integration of numerical information with motor processes has emerged as a fascinating area of investigation in both animal and human cognition. The interest in a sensorimotor number system has recently generated neurophysiological and psychophysical evidence which combine to highlight the importance of motor functions in the encoding of numerical information. Nevertheless, several key questions remain, such as the influence of non-numerical motor parameters over numerical perception. Here we tested the role of physical effort, a parameter positively correlated with the number of actions, in modulating the link between hand-actions and visual numerosity perception. Effort was manipulated during sensorimotor adaptation as well as during a new actions-estimation paradigm. The results of Experiment 1 shows that physical effort in the absence of actions (passive effort) is not sufficient to activate the sensorimotor number system, indicating that self-produced actions are instead necessary. Further experiments demonstrated that effort is marginally integrated during motor adaptation (Experiment 2) but discarded when estimating the number of self-produced hand actions (Experiment 3). Overall, the results indicate that the sensorimotor number system is largely fed by the number of discrete actions rather than the amount of effort but also indicates that effort (under specific circumstances) might be integrated. These findings provide novel insights into the sensorimotor numerical integration, paving the way for future investigations, such as on its functional role. Benedetto, A., Chelli, E., Petrizzo, I., Arrighi, R., & Anobile, G. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/the-role-of-motor-effort-on-the-sensorimotor-number-system/s00426-024-02002-2/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-024-02002-2 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/electrophysiological-correlates-of-temporal-numerosity-adaptation/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:29:47 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4948 Front. Neurosci. Introduction: Much research has revealed the human visual system is capable to estimate numerical quantities, rapidly and reliably, in both the spatial and the temporal domain. This ability is highly susceptible to short-term plastic phenomena related to previous exposure to visual numerical information (i.e., adaptation). However, while determinants of spatial numerosity adaptation have been widely investigated, little is known about the neural underpinnings of short-term plastic phenomena related to the encoding of temporal numerical information. In the present study we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of temporal numerosity adaptation. Methods: Participants were asked to estimate the numerosity of a test sequence of flashes after being exposed to either a high or low numerous adapting sequence. Behavioral results confirmed the expected underestimation of test stimulus when this was preceded by a high numerous sequence as compared to when preceded by a low numerous sequence. Results: Electrophysiological data revealed that this behavior was tightly linked to the amplitude of the steady-state visual evoked (ssVEP) response elicited by the test stimulus. When preceded by a high numerous sequence, the test stimulus elicited larger ssVEP responses as compared to when preceded by a low numerous sequence with this pattern being robustly correlated with behavior. Finally, topographical maps showed that this difference was mostly evident across two antero-posterior distributed clusters of electrodes and correlated with changes in functional connectivity. Discussion: Taken together, our results suggest that visual plastic phenomena related to the encoding of temporal numerosity information reflect changes in rhythmic evoked activity that are likely related to long range communications between distinct brain regions. Grasso, P. A., Petrizzo, I., Coniglio, F., & Arrighi, R. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/electrophysiological-correlates-of-temporal-numerosity-adaptation/fnins-18-1349540/https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2024.1349540 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/reshaping-the-peripersonal-space-in-virtual-reality-2/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:32:25 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4951 Scientific reports Peripersonal space (PPS) is defined as the space that lies within reach. Previous research revealed that PPS can be dynamically reshaped with the use of tools extending the arm’s reach. Here we investigated whether PPS reshaping depends on the kind of selected tool and/or the motor routine associated with its use. Participants carried out a visuo-tactile detection task in an immersive VR environment that allowed to measure the PPS size before and after a short period of tools use. In Experiment 1, participants had to pull or push objects towards or away from themselves using a shovel. In Experiment 2, they were required to either hammer or shoot an avatar placed in the Extrapersonal space. We found, for the first time in a VR environment, that a period of pull training was effective in enlarging the PPS, a result that replicates and expands previous findings carried out in real life conditions. However, no significant change in PPS size was achieved for training with other tools and motor routines. Our results suggest that the reshaping of PPS is a complex phenomenon in which the kind of interaction between the agent, the targets and the exploited motor routines all play a critical role. Petrizzo, I., Mikellidou, K., Avraam, S., Avraamides, M., & Arrighi, R. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/reshaping-the-peripersonal-space-in-virtual-reality-2/s41598-024-52383-y/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52383-y