EC Psychology and Psychiatry

This paper is the second of two about the relationship between the body schema (BS) concept and neurosciences. The first one concerned the history of the body schema concept. Dolto [1] and Gallagher [2] let go the body schema to the neurological and neurophysiological equipment. Since then, body schema has become a very good research field in neurosciences. Body image is an affective concept about the relationship between mind and body. Body schema is a physiological notion with proprioceptive, visual (including peripheral retina which involves movements and brightness vision and is located on the peripheral retina) and vestibular informations. Motor systems are engaged too. Vestibular system is engaged for the postural modifications change the weight of gravity. Interoception and touch are not supposed to interfere with body schema. Neurosciences taught us to take in account a new kind of space to include into the body schema: the peri-personal space. Different regions of the brain are involved in the body schema notion. They are described here.

Keywords: Body Schema; Neurosciences; Proprioception; Peripheral Vision; Vestibular Information; Peri-Personal Space; Neuron Networks; Cortices; Psychomotricity

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