Research axes

1. Multisensory-motor mechanisms of consciousness

In this line of research, we investigate how multisensory and motor signals are processed and integrated within peripersonal space, how they affect perception and cognition, and how they are modulated by the level of consciousness (e.g. awake, sleep & coma). The techniques mainly employed are psychophysics, brain-computer interfaces via EEG, virtual reality and computational modeling. The populations studied are primarily healthy participants and comatose patients.

Experts & collaborators

Internal collaborators

Tommaso Bertoni

External collaborators

Cristina Becchio (Politechnico Torino)
Francesca Siclari
Ali Rezai (West Virginia University)

Funding

SNSF (https://www.snf.ch)
EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship / The MINDED Programme
(https://minded-cofund.eu/about-us/minded-and-marie-sklodowska-curie-action)

Selected publications

Serino, A., Bockbrader, M., Bertoni, T., Colachis Iv, S., Solcà, M., Dunlap, C., Eipel, K., Ganzer, P., Annetta, N., Sharma, G., Orepic, P., Friedenberg, D., Sederberg, P., Faivre, N., Rezai, A., & Blanke, O. (2022). Sense of agency for intracortical brai Bertoni, T., Magosso, E., & Serino, A. (2021). From statistical regularities in multisensory inputs to peripersonal space representation and body ownership: Insights from a neural network model. The European journal of neuroscience, 53(2), 611–636. Serino A. (2019). Peripersonal space (PPS) as a multisensory interface between the individual and the environment, defining the space of the self. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 99, 138–159.

2. Neural representations of the body

In this line of research, we investigate somato-motor, visual, and nociceptive neural representations pertaining to the body, and how these interact with peripersonal space representations as well as higher-order experiential phenomena and cognitive processes such as the body ownership, agency, memory and decision-making. The primary tools used in this line of research are high-field functional MRI, MR-compatible robotics, virtual reality and advanced imaging analysis techniques based on machine learning. The populations studied are primarily healthy participants, amputees, stroke patients and patients suffering from chronic pain (phantom limb pain & complex regional pain syndrome.

Experts & collaborators

Internal collaborators

Michel Akselrod

External collaborators

Jozina de Graaf (Université Aix-Marseille)
Jean Paysant (IRR Nancy)

Funding

SNSF (https://www.snf.ch)
Fondation A*MIDEX (https://www.univ-amu.fr/fr/public/la-fondation-amidex)

Selected publications

Mastria, G., Scaliti, E., Mehring, C., Burdet, E., Becchio, C., Serino, A., & Akselrod, M. (2023). Morphology, Connectivity, and Encoding Features of Tactile and Motor Representations of the Fingers in the Human Precentral and Postcentral Gyrus. The Journ Bertoni, T., Mastria, G., Akulenko, N., Perrin, H., Zbinden, B., Bassolino, M., & Serino A. (2023, in press). The self and the Bayesian brain: Testing probabilistic models of body ownership through a self-localization task. Cortex. Mehring, C., Akselrod, M., Bashford, L., Mace, M., Choi, H., Blüher, M., Buschhoff, A. S., Pistohl, T., Salomon, R., Cheah, A., Blanke, O., Serino, A., & Burdet, E. (2019). Augmented manipulation ability in humans with six-fingered hands. Nature communica