THE BODY IN THE BRAIN - NEURAL BASES OF CORPOREAL AWARENESS

Recent studies have begun to unravel the brain mechanisms that underli e the mental representation of the body. Imitation of movements by neo nates suggests an implicit knowledge of the body structure that anteda tes the adult body schema. This can include inanimate objects that bea r systematic relations to the body, as shown by the elimination from s elf awareness of a body part and its associated paraphernalia after se lective brain lesions. Dynamic aspects of the body schema ave revealed by spontaneous sensations from a lost body part as well as by orderly phantom sensations elicited by stimulation of body areas away from th e amputation line and even by visual stimulation. The mechanisms of th e body schema exhibit stability, since some brain regions seem permane ntly committed to representing the corresponding body parts in conscio us awareness, and plasticity, since brain regions deprived of their na tural inputs from a body part become reactive to inputs from other bod y parts.