The course aims to convey the concepts required to understand the neurophysiological basis of the human ability to control the body and plan the movements. The basic notions will regard the dyad body schema – body image (the Sense of Self, the Sense of Bodily Ownership, the Peripersonal Space), and the role of action representations in motor cognition (including action planning, motor imagery, and action understanding during social interaction). These basic principles will be crucial to explore the role of the plasticity of body and motor representations in neurological and neuropsychological disorders.

1. Taxonomy of body representations

1.1. Body Schema. 1.2. Body Image. 1.3. The multisensory nature of body representations and the Bodily Self. 1.4 Personal and Peripersonal Space. 1.5. Sense of Ownership and Sense of Agency.
 

2. Disorders of body representations

2.1 Peripheral deafferentation. 2.2. Phantom Limbs and Mirror Therapy. 2.3. Alien hand syndrome, Autotopoagnosia and Digital Agnosia. 2.4. Neglect, Somatoparaphrenia, Anosognosia for hemiplegia, E+ patients. 2.5. Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID). 2.6. Alterations of body representations in Schizophrenia and in eating disorders.
 

3. Motor representations

3.1. Predictions in motor control. 3.2. The visuo-motor neural networks. 3.3. Motor Cognition: motor planning, motor imagery and action observation. 3.4. The impact of experience on motor representations (along the life-span, in athletes and in the case of peripheral limitation).

4. Disorders of motor planning

4.1. Apraxia. 4.2. Basal ganglia and Hypokinetic Disorders (Parkinson Disease). 4.3. Hyperkinetic Disorders (Dystonia, Huntington disease, Tourette syndrome). 4.4. Cerebellum and Cerebellar Syndrome. 4.5. The role of prefrontal regions.
 

5. Implications for motor rehabilitation

5.5. Neurorehabilitation and neural plasticity. 5.2. Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) e Mirror Therapy. 5.3. Motor Imagery Practice (MIP). 5.4. Action Observation Therapy (AOT).

None. This course yet requires a basic understanding of the concepts discussed in the course of Neurophysiology.

Knowledge and understanding: The student must demonstrate to have acquired the basic knowledge about the neurophysiological basis of body representations and motor planning, the knowledge of the main disorders of body representations and motor planning, and the understanding of the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms and processes.

Applying knowledge and understanding: The student must demonstrate to have acquired the ability to select and apply anatomo-functional and neurophysiological knowledge to the description of the body representations for the sake of motor planning, as well as the understanding of the contributions that knowledge on cerebral plasticity provides to the main neurorehabilitation techniques in this field.

Making judgments: The student will have acquired the essential ability to judge the role played by the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the body and motor representations, as well as their alterations in the considered disorders; to identify open questions, and to independently deepen their knowledge.

Communication skills: The student must demonstrate to have acquired the ability to clearly and coherently convey the acquired knowledge, and to master the specific terminology in the field of neurophysiology, neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience, with the additional purpose of adequately understanding the relevant scientific literature.

Learning Skills: The student will have acquired the essential ability to integrate the study material, to read and interpret reports and descriptions of the neuroscientific aspects of the dyadic interaction between body schema and body image, motor planning, and their related disorders, and to purchase useful scientific information to deepen and update their knowledge.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Supplementary seminars will be held focusing on specific topics.

Teaching

The course will include frontal lectures, seminars, video-clip projections, participation activities using online instruments.

Innovative teaching methods

Frontal lectures will be enriched with interactive teaching activities on Kahoot!/Mentimeter platforms.

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended.

Course books

Book chapters:

- E.R. Kandel, J.H. Schwartz, T.M. Jessell, S.A. Siegelbaum, A.J. Hudspeth, Principi di neuroscienze, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano, IV edizione italiana, 2014. Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 37 (review); Chapters 33, 38 e 43.

- Vallar G. & Papagno C. (a cura di). Manuale di neuropsicologia. Clinica ed elementi di riabilitazione. 3a edizione, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2018. Chapter 1 "Introduzione alla neuropsicologia" by Vallar G.; Chapter 9 " I disturbi della programmazione motoria: le aprassie" by Rumiati R.; Chapter 11 "I disturbi della rappresentazione del corpo", by Maravita A.

- Ferrari P.F. & Rizzolatti G. (a cura di). New Frontiers in Mirror Neurons Research, Oxford University Press, 2015. Chapter 6 "Neural underpinnings of anticipatory action simulation and perception in expert brains", by Sacheli L.M., Aglioti S.M., Candidi M.

Papers published on scientific journals:

- Buccino, G. (2014). Action observation treatment: a novel tool in neurorehabilitation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369, 20130185.
- Costello, M. C., & Bloesch, E. K. (2017). Are older adults less embodied? A review of age effects through the lens of embodied cognition. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 267.
- Mulder, T. (2007). Motor imagery and action observation: cognitive tools for rehabilitation. Journal of Neural Transmission, 114, 1265-1278.

The lecture slides, which will be available on the Moodle course platform (Blended Learning Uniurb), are part of the study material.

Assessment

The assessment will take place through an oral interview. During the interview, one or more topics will be explored. The evaluation will be based on the following elements: (i) knowledge of the topic; (ii) the ability to organize a speech using appropriate, discipline-specific vocabulary; (iii) the background knowledge regarding the neuroanatomy; (iv) the ability to use the knowledge acquired to discuss complex problems regarding motor planning, and the application pf rehabilitation strategies.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Non-attending students are asked to refer to the instructional material uploaded on the Moodle course platform (lecture slides, videos, exercises, etc.), through which they can integrate the study of the textbook recommended in the “Course books” section.

Course books

Book chapters:

- E.R. Kandel, J.H. Schwartz, T.M. Jessell, S.A. Siegelbaum, A.J. Hudspeth, Principi di neuroscienze, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano, IV edizione italiana, 2014. Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 37 (review); Chapters 33, 38 e 43.

- Vallar G. & Papagno C. (a cura di). Manuale di neuropsicologia. Clinica ed elementi di riabilitazione. 3a edizione, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2018. Chapter 1 "Introduzione alla neuropsicologia" by Vallar G.; Chapter 9 " I disturbi della programmazione motoria: le aprassie" by Rumiati R.; Chapter 11 "I disturbi della rappresentazione del corpo", by Maravita A.

- Ferrari P.F. & Rizzolatti G. (a cura di). New Frontiers in Mirror Neurons Research, Oxford University Press, 2015. Chapter 6 "Neural underpinnings of anticipatory action simulation and perception in expert brains", by Sacheli L.M., Aglioti S.M., Candidi M.

Papers published on scientific journals:

- Buccino, G. (2014). Action observation treatment: a novel tool in neurorehabilitation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369, 20130185.
- Costello, M. C., & Bloesch, E. K. (2017). Are older adults less embodied? A review of age effects through the lens of embodied cognition. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 267.
- Mulder, T. (2007). Motor imagery and action observation: cognitive tools for rehabilitation. Journal of Neural Transmission, 114, 1265-1278.

The lecture slides, which will be available on the Moodle course platform (Blended Learning Uniurb), are part of the study material.

Non-attending students might also refer to the following book chapters: Denes G., Pizzamiglio L. et al. (a cura di) Manuale di Neuropsicologia. Normalità e patologia dei processi cognitivi, Bologna: Zanichelli, 2019. Chapter 23 "Le aprassie" by Rumiati R., et al.; Chapter 28 "Disturbi della cognizione corporea" by Pizzamiglio L., et al.; Chapter 29 "Consapevolezza corporea: normalità e patologia", by Berti A.M., et al.

Assessment

The assessment will take place through an oral interview. During the interview, one or more topics will be explored. The evaluation will be based on the following elements: (i) knowledge of the topic; (ii) the ability to organize a speech using appropriate, discipline-specific vocabulary; (iii) the background knowledge regarding the neuroanatomy; (iv) the ability to use the knowledge acquired to discuss complex problems regarding motor planning, and the application pf rehabilitation strategies.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Foreign students can contact the lecturer to get information on the course material in English. Moreover, they can take the exam in English upon request, by sending an e-mail at least one week before the date of the exam.

Some optional (nonmandatory) scientific papers (in English) will be available on the Moodle course platform during the course.