Wada Makoto, Takano Kouji, Ora Hiroki, Ide Masakazu, Kansaku Kenji
Systems Neuroscience Section and.
Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa 359-8555, Japan and.
J Neurosci. 2016 Oct 26;36(43):11133-11137. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3006-15.2016.
The ownership of one's body parts represents a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. Accumulating empirical evidence supports the existence of this concept in humans and nonhuman primates, but it is unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience similar feelings. Therefore, the present study used rubber tails to investigate body ownership in rodents. When the real tails and rubber tails were synchronously stroked, the mice responded as if their own tails were touched when the rubber tails were grasped. In contrast, when the stimuli were delivered asynchronously, there was a significantly lower mean response rate when the rubber tail was grasped. These findings suggest that mice may experience body ownership of their tails, suggestive of the rubber hand illusion in humans.
To explore the manner in which the ownership of body parts is experienced, this study specifically used the rubber hand illusion (RHI), in which self-consciousness can be extended out of one's own body. Accumulating empirical evidence supports the existence of this concept in humans and nonhuman primates, but it remains unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience similar feelings. This study demonstrated for the first time that mice may experience body ownership of their tails, which is suggestive of the RHI in humans and provides evidence that may highlight how humans experience the ownership of body parts.
身体部位的所属感是自我意识的一个基本方面。越来越多的实证证据支持这一概念在人类和非人类灵长类动物中的存在，但尚不清楚非灵长类哺乳动物是否有类似的感受。因此，本研究使用橡胶尾巴来探究啮齿动物的身体所属感。当真实尾巴和橡胶尾巴被同步抚摸时，在抓住橡胶尾巴时，小鼠的反应就好像它们自己的尾巴被触摸了一样。相比之下，当刺激异步给予时，抓住橡胶尾巴时的平均反应率显著降低。这些发现表明，小鼠可能会体验到它们尾巴的身体所属感，这类似于人类的橡胶手错觉。
为了探究身体部位所属感的体验方式，本研究特别使用了橡胶手错觉（RHI），在这种错觉中，自我意识可以延伸到自己身体之外。越来越多的实证证据支持这一概念在人类和非人类灵长类动物中的存在，但尚不清楚非灵长类哺乳动物是否有类似的感受。本研究首次证明，小鼠可能会体验到它们尾巴的身体所属感，这类似于人类的橡胶手错觉，并提供了可能突出人类如何体验身体部位所属感的证据。
