In sync or not in sync? Illusory body ownership in autism spectrum disorder. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guerra, Silvia; Spoto, Andrea; Parma, Valentina; Straulino, Elisa; Castiello, Umberto
• Is Part Of: Research in autism spectrum disorders. Volume 41/42(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 7
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Autism spectrum disorders -- Body ownership -- Numbness illusion -- Multisensory temporal integration -- Tactile sensory processing; Autism spectrum disorders -- Periodicals; 616.85882005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2017.07.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1750-9467

Abstract

Highlights: Contrary to controls, individuals with ASD report to perceive the NI also during self-asynchronous stimulations. Both groups do not report to perceive the NI when another agent strokes one's fingers. Finger's body ownership is more vulnerable in individuals with ASD than in controls. Body ownership in ASD is modulated by the agent but not by the temporal dynamics of the stimulation. Abstract: Background: A fundamental aspect of self-consciousness is body ownership, which refers to the experience that our body and its parts belong to us and it is distinct from those of other persons. Body ownership depends on the integration of different sensory stimulations and it is crucial for the development of functional motor and social abilities, which are compromised in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here we examined the multisensory nature of body ownership in individuals with ASD by using a procedure based on tactile conflicts, namely the numbness illusion (NI). Method: We induced an illusory feeling of numbness and ownership for another person's finger by asking participants to hold their palm against another person's palm and to stroke the two joined index fingers with the index and thumb of their other hand. Results: As expected, when the agent self-strokes their finger, healthy participants do not perceive the NI if the stroking is performed asynchronously. Conversely, in individuals with ASD the illusion occurred with both synchronous and asynchronous self-stroking. Conclusions: We contend that individuals with ASD are more vulnerable than controls to this illusory tactile experience and we discuss the findings in light of impaired perception of the temporal relationships between tactile and proprioceptive inputs.