Ricerc@Sapienza

Bodily self-consciousness arises from integrating interoceptive and exteroceptive information, and can be altered by Interpersonal Multisensory Stimulation (IMS) procedures. Reproducing tactile sensations felt on the participant's actual body over a virtual avatar's body creates the illusion of owning the virtual body (i.e., embodiment) and changes self-representation. Providing interoceptive information enhances embodiment in healthy participants, especially in those with scarce interoceptive abilities. Interestingly, Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by body image distortion and dissatisfaction, which are crucial to the insurgence and maintenance of the pathology, increased susceptibility to bodily illusions, and reduced interoceptive abilities. Exteroceptive IMS induces embodiment and plastic changes to self-representations in AN, but patients might only accommodate changes to perceived body size due to weight gain (not loss), preventing an accurate representation of their actual body size. This line of research aims to evaluate the efficacy of interoceptive and exteroceptive IMS interventions in reducing body-image distortion and dissatisfaction in individuals with anorexia nervosa.