@article{item_3034461,
  title = {{Visual perception of one\textquoterights own body under vestibular stimulation using biometric self-avatars in virtual reality}},
  journal = {{PLoS One}},
  abstract = {{BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vestibular input is projected to "multisensory (vestibular) cortex" where it converges with input from other sensory modalities. It has been assumed that this multisensory integration enables a continuous perception of state and presence of one\textquotesingles own body. The present study thus asked whether or not vestibular stimulation may impact this perception. METHODS: We used an immersive virtual reality setup to realistically manipulate the length of extremities of first person biometric avatars. Twenty-two healthy participants had to adjust arms and legs to their correct length from various start lengths before, during, and after vestibular stimulation. RESULTS: Neither unilateral caloric nor galvanic vestibular stimulation had a modulating effect on the perceived size of own extremities. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that vestibular stimulation does not directly influence the explicit somatosensory representation of our body. It is possible that in non-brain-damaged, healthy subjects, changes in whole body size perception are principally not mediated by vestibular information. Alternatively, visual feedback and/or memory may dominate multisensory integration and thereby override possibly existing modulations of body perception by vestibular stimulation. The present observations suggest that multisensory integration and not the processing of a single sensory input is the crucial mechanism in generating our body representation in relation to the external world.}},
  volume = {14},
  number = {3},
  pages = {1--15},
  publisher = {Public Library of Science},
  address = {San Francisco, CA},
  year = {2019},
  slug = {item_3034461},
  author = {Karnath, H-O and M\"olbert, SC and Klaner, AK and Tesch, J and Giel, KE and Wong, HY and Mohler, BJ}
}