title: Right but not left angular gyrus modulates the metric component of the mental body representation: a tDCS study.
abstract: The parietal lobes contribute to body-space representation. The present work aims at characterizing the functional role of the inferior parietal lobe in body-space representation and at studying the different roles of the angular gyrus in the right and left hemisphere. We conducted three separate transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) experiments using "tactile distance task" as an implicit measure of body representation. Whereas anodal tDCS on the right angular gyrus influences vocal reaction times (vRT) for stimuli delivered on the ipsilateral body parts without changes of accuracy, right tDCS improved both vRT and accuracy for tactile stimuli on the contralateral limbs. Sham or left parietal anodal tDCS had no effect. These evidences support the view that right parietal areas have a crucial role in the metric component of the body representation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. grazia.spitoni@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Grazia Fernanda
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Spitoni
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pireddu
authors.forename: Rocco Luca
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Cimmino
authors.forename: Gaspare
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galati
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Priori
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lavidor
authors.forename: Liron
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pizzamiglio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult