title: Peripersonal space in the brain.
abstract: Research in neuroscience reveals that the brain constructs multiple representation of space. Here, we primarily focus on peripersonal space (PPS) representation, the region of space immediately surrounding our bodies and in which objects can be grasped and manipulated. We review convergent results from several generations of studies, including neurophysiological studies in animals, neuropsychological investigations in monkeys and brain-damaged patients with spatial cognition disorders, as well as recent neuroimaging experiments in neurologically normal individuals. Collectively, these studies show that the primate brain constructs multiple, rapidly modifiable representations of space, centered on different body parts (i.e., hand-centered, head-centered, and trunk-centered), which arise through extensive multisensory interactions within a set of interconnected parietal and frontal regions. PPS representations are pivotal in the sensory guidance of motor behavior, allowing us to interact with objects and, as demonstrated by recent studies, with other people in the space around us.
authors.affiliation: Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Viale Europa 980, 47521 Cesena, Italy; Department of Psychology, Universisty of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: di Pellegrino
authors.affiliation: Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Viale Europa 980, 47521 Cesena, Italy; Department of Psychology, Universisty of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: elisabetta.ladavs@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Làdavas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001828:Body Image; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D010550:Personal Space; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Multisensory neurons; Neuroimaging; Neurophysiology; Neuropsychology; Peripersonal space; Premotor cortex; Ventral intraparietal area