The course aims to acquire advanced knowledge on the neurophysiological bases of body representations, motor planning and motor control in peri- and extra-personal space. The acquired notions will specifically cover the body schema-body image dyad, and their implications on the Self and body awareness, as well as the role of body and motor representations in motor cognition (planning, motor imagery, and action observation). The course will examine the main neurological, neuropsychological, and psychiatric disorders involving alterations in body representations or motor planning and control, as well as the main sensorimotor limitations that arise during aging. The acquired knowledge will allow understanding the importance of neuronal plasticity of body and motor representations in these phenomena, and their implications for motor practice, motor neurorehabilitation, and functional recovery.
The course also provides the basic elements to apply anatomical-functional and neuropsychological knowledge on brain plasticity of body and motor representations to the design of functional recovery interventions in cases of physical or neurological pathologies, and prevention interventions in cases of sensorimotor limitations due to physiological aging; to master the specific terminology related to the neurophysiology and neuropsychology of body and motor representations, in order to effectively communicate with other professionals in this field.

1. Taxonomy of body representations (8 hours)

1.1. Body schema. 1.2. Body image. 1.3. The multisensory nature of body representations and body Self. 1.4. Personal and peripersonal space. 1.5. Sense of ownership and sense of agency.

2. Disorders of body representations (10 hours)

2.1. Peripheral deafferentation. 2.2. Phantom limb. 2.3. Alien hand syndrome, Autotopagnosia, Digital agnosia. 2.4. Unilateral spatial neglect, Somatoparaphrenia, Anosognosia for hemiplegia, E+ patients. 2.5. Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID). 2.6. Alterations of body representations in eating disorders and schizophrenia.

3. Motor Representations (12 hours)

3.1. Predictive models of motor control. 3.2. Visuo-motor circuits. 3.3. Motor cognition: motor planning, motor imagery, and action observation. 3.4. The impact of experience on the quality of motor representations (in the lifespan, in athletes, and in functional limitation conditions).

4. Disorders of motor planning and movement (6 hours)

4.1. Apraxia. 4.2. Basal ganglia and hypokinetic disorders (Parkinson’s disease). 4.3. Basal ganglia and hyperkinetic disorders (Dystonia, Huntington’s disease, Tourette syndrome). 4.4. Cerebellum and cerebellar syndrome.

5. Implications for motor neurorehabilitation (6 hours)

5.1. Neurorehabilitation and neural Plasticity. 5.2. Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) and Mirror Therapy. 5.3. Motor Imagery Practice (MIP). 5.4. Action Observation Therapy (AOT). 5.5. Role of the prefrontal areas.

None. However, a basic understanding of the concepts covered in the Neurophysiology course is required.

Knowledge and understanding:
The student will demonstrate the acquisition and mastery of the terminology and key concepts related to the neurophysiological and neuropsychological bases of a) body representations and motor control, b) the main disorders of body representations and motor planning, c) brain plasticity related to motor practice, physical and neurological pathology, and aging.

Applying knowledge and understanding:
The student will demonstrate the ability to select and apply anatomical, functional, and neurophysiological knowledge on brain plasticity of body and motor representations for designing functional recovery interventions in cases of physical or neurological pathologies, and prevention interventions in cases of sensorimotor limitations due to physiological aging.

Making judgments:
The student will demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the processes and mechanisms hypothesized to underlie body and motor representations and their disorders, identifying their limitations and implications for professional practice in planning functional recovery interventions, formulating working hypotheses, identifying unresolved issues, and independently deepening their own knowledge.

Communication skills:
The student will demonstrate the ability to clearly and coherently present the acquired concepts and master the specific terminology related to neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and cognitive neuroscience, also to the purpose of effectively communicating with other professionals in this field.

Learning Skills:
The student will have acquired a good level of autonomy in integrating study materials, understanding and interpreting information related to the neuroscientific bases of the body schema-body image dyadic interaction, motor planning and control, and related disorders, as well as the ability to independently retrieve and integrate scientific information to deepen and update their knowledge in this field, also thanks to the critical analysis of scientific articles conducted during the course.

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, conducted by experts in the field, will be held focusing on the topic of body image disorders in the context of sports and physical exercise.

Teaching

The course includes lectures, audiovisual presentations, and interactive teaching activities. Approximately halfway through and at the end of the course, practice exercises on possible exam questions are scheduled to facilitate self-assessment and monitoring of one's learning level.

Innovative teaching methods

The lectures will be enhanced with interactive presentations on the Mentimeter platform to promote active learning and self-assessment and to receive real-time feedback from students on the lesson content. Additionally, the educational practices of debate and problem-solving will be employed.

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, 9, 11.
• Ferrari P.F. & Rizzolatti G. (a cura di). New Frontiers in Mirror Neurons Research, Oxford University Press, 2015. Chapter 6.

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 Blended Learning course platform, are part of the study material.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral examination during which questions will be asked on various topics covered in the program. The evaluation criteria are as follows: knowledge of neurophysiology and neuroanatomy applied to body representations and motor planning and control; relevance and effectiveness of responses in relation to program content; ability to identify and highlight connections between different topics; articulation level of the response; appropriate use of disciplinary language; ability to apply acquired knowledge to discuss the structuring of individualized interventions involving the application of strategies for functional recovery in the context of body representations and motor skills.

In order to pass the exam, a minimum grade of 18/30 is required, according to the following levels of proficiency:

0-17 (insufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are not achieved.
18-20 (sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are achieved.
21-23 (fully sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" and "applying knowledge and understanding" sections are achieved.
24-26 (good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", and "making judgements" sections are achieved.
27-29 (very good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", and "communication skills" sections are achieved.
30 and 30 cum laude (excellent): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding", "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", "communication skills", and "learning skills" sections are fully achieved.

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 encouraged to refer, besides to the lecture slides, to the educational material uploaded on Blended Learning (videos, practice exercises, etc.), through which they can supplement their study of the materials listed in the "Textbooks" section. Students may seek explanations and clarifications from the instructor regarding the course topics during the designated office hours.

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory.

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, 43.
• Vallar G. & Papagno C. (a cura di). Manuale di neuropsicologia. Clinica ed elementi di riabilitazione. 3a edizione, Il Mulino: Bologna, 2018. Chapters 1, 9, 11.
• Ferrari P.F. & Rizzolatti G. (Eds). New Frontiers in Mirror Neurons Research, Oxford University Press, 2015. Chapter 6.

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 Blended Learning course platform, are part of the study material.

To allow non-attending students to compensate with independent study for what is covered during the lectures, it is recommended to use all the materials available on the Blended Learning platform (videos, exercises, supplementary materials, sample exam questions for each section of the program), which are particularly useful for a full understanding of the program content.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral examination during which questions will be asked on various topics covered in the program. The evaluation criteria are as follows: knowledge of neurophysiology and neuroanatomy applied to body representations and motor planning and control; relevance and effectiveness of responses in relation to program content; ability to identify and highlight connections between different topics; articulation level of the response; appropriate use of disciplinary language; ability to apply acquired knowledge to discuss the structuring of individualized interventions involving the application of strategies for functional recovery in the context of body representations and motor skills.

In order to pass the exam, a minimum grade of 18/30 is required, according to the following levels of proficiency:

0-17 (insufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are not achieved.
18-20 (sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are achieved.
21-23 (fully sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" and "applying knowledge and understanding" sections are achieved.
24-26 (good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", and "making judgements" sections are achieved.
27-29 (very good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", and "communication skills" sections are achieved.
30 and 30 cum laude (excellent): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding", "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", "communication skills", and "learning skills" sections are fully achieved.

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 instructor to obtain study materials in English. Additionally, if they wish, they can request to take the exam in English by emailing the instructor at least one week before the examination date.

Some optional articles in English will be made available on the Blended Learning platform during the course.