title: Body maps in the infant brain.
abstract: Researchers have examined representations of the body in the adult brain but relatively little attention has been paid to ontogenetic aspects of neural body maps in human infants. Novel applications of methods for recording brain activity in infants are delineating cortical body maps in the first months of life. Body maps may facilitate infants' registration of similarities between self and other - an ability that is foundational to developing social cognition. Alterations in interpersonal aspects of body representations might also contribute to social deficits in certain neurodevelopmental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: peter.marshall@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Meltzoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D058256:Brain Waves / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D018594:Human Body; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012649:Self Concept
keywords: body maps; body schema; development; infancy; social neuroscience; somatotopy