Esra Al | Heartbeat and somatosensory perception

Institutskolloquium (intern)

  • Datum: 11.01.2021
  • Uhrzeit: 15:00 - 16:00
  • Vortragende(r): Esra Al
  • Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology Berlin School of Mind and Brain
  • Raum: Zoom Meeting
  • Gastgeber: Abteilung Neurologie
When studying perception, the focus is typically on neural signals in the brain. However, bodily signals can also influence perception. The underlying mechanisms of such effects are poorly understood. In my talk, I will demonstrate how the heart influences perception. Specifically, we have recently identified two heart-related factors, heartbeat-evoked potentials (HEP) and cardiac-phase, both of which influence perception. In an EEG study, we investigated psychophysical and neural mechanisms underlying the influence of cardiac-phase and HEP on somatosensory detection. In a follow-up EEG study, we tested the replicability of these heartbeat-related effects in a modified experimental paradigm and further explored the neural sources of the HEP modulations associated with perception. Lastly, using simultaneous EEG-TMS, we investigated whether the effect of heartbeat-related factors might be due to general changes in excitability. Together, this talk will highlight how cardiac signals are integrated into our conscious perception of the world.
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