title: Is body dysmorphic disorder associated with abnormal bodily self-awareness? A study using the rubber hand illusion.
abstract: Evidence from past research suggests that behaviours and characteristics related to body dissatisfaction may be associated with greater instability of perceptual body image, possibly due to problems in the integration of body-related multisensory information. We investigated whether people with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a condition characterised by body image disturbances, demonstrated enhanced susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI), which arises as a result of multisensory integration processes when a rubber hand and the participant's hidden real hand are stimulated in synchrony. Overall, differences in RHI experience between the BDD group and healthy and schizophrenia control groups (n = 17 in each) were not significant. RHI strength, however, was positively associated with body dissatisfaction and related tendencies. For the healthy control group, proprioceptive drift towards the rubber hand was observed following synchronous but not asynchronous stimulation, a typical pattern when inducing the RHI. Similar drifts in proprioceptive awareness occurred for the BDD group irrespective of whether stimulation was synchronous or not. These results are discussed in terms of possible abnormalities in visual processing and multisensory integration among people with BDD.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Ryan A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Enticott
authors.affiliation: School of Philosophical, Historical, and International Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hohwy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Castle
authors.affiliation: Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rossell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012408:Rubber; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012408:Rubber