Body representation network
Whatever object we might encounter in our life, our encounter with our own body is never the same.
We have a privileged access to our own bodily sensations that we cannot have for any other bodies or objects. Not merely sensations and motor outcomes, but also emotions are depicted in a coherent cognitive representation of our body through a network of specialized brain areas.
It might not be surprising therefore, that few issues in experimental psychology have encountered such interest as how the brain represents our body.
However, no comprehensive view has developed on how the brain represents the body, and there has always been a scarce dialogue between different approaches in the study of body representation.
The future of research in body representation would have to integrate lab-based research, clinical approaches and the development of new technologies, such as virtual reality embodiment.