Brain Abnormalities in Individuals with a Desire for a Healthy Limb Amputation: Somatosensory, Motoric or Both? A Task-Based fMRI Verdict
OPEN ACCESS
Loading...
Author / Producer
Date
2021-09
Publication Type
Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
no
Citations
Altmetric
OPEN ACCESS
Data
Rights / License
Abstract
Body integrity dysphoria (BID), a long-lasting desire for the amputation of physically healthy limbs, is associated with reduced fMRI resting-state functional connectivity of somatosensory cortices. Here, we used fMRI to evaluate whether these findings could be replicated and expanded using a task-based paradigm. We measured brain activations during somatosensory stimulation and motor tasks for each of the four limbs in ten individuals with a life-long desire for the amputation of the left leg and fourteen controls. For the left leg, BID individuals had reduced brain activation in the right superior parietal lobule for somatosensory stimulation and in the right paracentral lobule for the motor task, areas where we previously found reduced resting-state functional connectivity. In addition, for somatosensory stimulation only, we found a robust reduction in activation of somatosensory areas SII bilaterally, mostly regardless of the stimulated body part. Areas SII were regions of convergent activations for signals from all four limbs in controls to a significantly greater extent than in subjects with BID. We conclude that BID is associated with altered integration of somatosensory and, to a lesser extent, motor signals, involving limb-specific cortical maps and brain regions where the first integration of body-related signals is achieved through convergence.
Permanent link
Publication status
published
External links
Editor
Book title
Journal / series
Volume
11 (9)
Pages / Article No.
1248
Publisher
MDPI
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Task-based fMRI; Body representation; Body awareness; Secondary somatosensory cortex; Somatosensory stimulation; Motor task; Body integrity dysphoria
Organisational unit
09800 - Cross, Emily S. / Cross, Emily S.