The body in the metaverse

The topic of the neural representation of one’s own and other bodies has fascinated scholars not just in the field of neuroscience and psychology but also in that of anthropology, philosophy, medicine and engineering. Initially linked to the analysis of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, the topic has been revived at the end of the past millennium by neuroscientific and psychological studies about the neural underpinnings of bodily representations and link between bodily illusions and self-consciousness. The debate concerning the different instances of bodily representations is now more lively than ever and a growing number of studies (including my own ones) are highlighting the link between the material body in the real world and the seemingly immaterial nature of virtual world, particularly in relation to the looming metaverse momentum. The present project deals with some of the outstanding questions current research on the relationship between body and brain is facing. It is for example central to understand whether wearing artificial physical (robot) or virtual (avatar) bodies brings about changes in the way the real body is perceived. Or whether the some of the features attributed to the embodied agent (e.g. omnipotence, intelligence, beauty, power, morality) will transfer to the body of the individual involved in the embodiment process. Since human lives are becoming increasingly virtual, studies on the destiny of our bodies in the decades to come, have the potential to be at the core of the multidisciplinary discussion on the link between future humans and technology, an issue that is central to science and humanities.

Key Publications

Dupont L, Santangelo V, Azevedo R, Panasiti MS, Aglioti SM (2023) Reputation risk modulates anterior insular and cingulate cortex during dishonest decision making. Communications Biology , 6 (1), 475

Pezzetta R, Ozkan DG, Era V,…. Aglioti SM (2023)  Combined EEG and immersive virtual reality unveil dopaminergic modulation of error monitoring in Parkinson’s Disease. npj Parkinson Disease ,  9 (1), 3

Monti A, Porciello G, Panasiti MS, Aglioti SM (2022) Gut markers of bodily self-consciousness. iScience. 9 (8), 220061

Scattolin M, Panasiti MS, Ho JY, Lenggenhager  B, Aglioti SM (2023) Xenomelia Deceptive behaviors increase the estrangement of unwanted limbs: a study on Body Integrity Dysphoria. iScience, 26 (9)