VirtualSync · An embodied perspective on anosognosia
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2018-10-01 → 2020-09-30
- EU contribution
- €175,420
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-SE
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Results in brief
An embodied perspective on anosognosia
Lack of awareness about deficient aspects of memory functioning (usually described as “anosognosia”) is often described in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), affecting between the 20% and 80% of the total number of diagnosed individuals. A growing body of studies exploring these deficits in both neurological and psychiatric patients suggested that the visual perspective in which the information is presented has a key role in modulating self-awareness. Indeed, there is preliminary evidence suggesting that neurological patients might show better awareness when evaluating abilities of other people or even of themselves, if seen “from the outside”, i.e. shifting from a first person-perspective (1PP) to a third-person one (3PP) (Clare et al., 2012; Bertrand et al., 2016, Riva et al., 2019). The overall aim of VIRTUALSYNC project is to investigate the role of visual perspective in modulating both the objective memory performance and the subjective perception of memory functioning in healthy and clinical populuation. The specific goals of this project and the work carried out are: 1. To investigate the effect of switching between the first (1PP) and the third (3PP) visual perspective in the objective memory performance (Work Pack Package 1, WP1); 2. To design and develop a novel “embodied machine” able to sustain the switch from the first-person perspective to the third-person one (WP2); 2. To examine the effect of the “embodied machine” in reducing metamemory deficits in patients with mild AD (WP3); 4. To promote the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based interventions and tools developed by project to the scientific/clinical community and to the general public (WP4).
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
In addition to impairments in episodic and spatial memory, a lack of awareness for one’s memory deficits (also referred to as anosognosia) may be considered a crucial cognitive marker of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, although a growing body of interesting models have been proposed to explain this early symptom, what is still missing is a unifying theoretical framework able to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying anosognosia. To overcome this issue, it has been recently proposed by the experienced researcher of this project that anosognosia may be related to a break in the synchronization between spatial reference frames (i.e., the Mental Frame Syncing). Starting from these theoretical premises, rooted in neuroscience research field, the major objectives of this interdisciplinary proposal are: a) Investigating the role of “mental frame syncing” in explaining anosognosia in patients with early AD; b) Designing and developing a new “embodied machine” for reducing symptoms of anosognosia; c) Testing the new “embodied machine” (VirtualSync) in a development-of-concept trial for AD patients suffering from anosognosia; d) Disseminating the activities of the project to the scientific/clinical community and to the general public.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE VAUDOIS · LausanneCoordinatorSwitzerland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union