The discussion centers on proprioception, the body's ability to sense its position in space without visual or tactile input. Participants highlight the role of mechanosensors in muscle spindles, which transmit information about muscle stretch to the nervous system, enabling the brain to calculate limb orientation. The parietal lobes integrate this somatosensory information with inputs from the vestibular system to create a spatial awareness of the body. The conversation also touches on practical applications for individuals with proprioceptive dysfunction, suggesting mechanical devices to aid in spatial awareness.
PREREQUISITESNeuroscientists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and individuals interested in understanding proprioception and its implications for movement and rehabilitation.
From the nerve signals sent from the hand. You don't need sight to sense your body.AcidRainLiTE said:If I close my eyes (so as to remove my sense of sight) and spread my fingers so they do not touch (so as to remove sense of feeling) and then move my hand around, I still have a sense of where in space it is located. How is my brain figuring out the location of my hand under these conditions?
Yes, proprioception. It is the incredibly important sense that most don't realize they have or need. The few people who have completely lost their sense of proprioception have had their lives devastated. Oliver Sacks tells the story of one woman who lost it in his book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat", in chapter 3, "The Disembodied Lady".atyy said:"Proprioception"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10812/
Do you mean for people who have dysfunctional proprioception? A less complicated and risky method could be to devise mechanical devices worn on the knees, elbows, shoulders and hips that apply pressure to different areas of the limb on the basis of how extended the joint is. Overtime perhaps patients will adapt to this; I've read a Sacks case wherein the patient could no longer balance. They improvised a small spirit level attached to his glasses so that he could tell if he was standing straight. After a lot of practice he could walk again and the action became automatic.AcidRainLiTE said:I wonder whether it is possible to read the signals from these nerves (by placing a electrode or something on your arm) and interpret them so as to be able to track your hand.