An important principle of human ethics is that individuals are not responsible for actions performed when unconscious. Recent research found that the generation of an action and the building of a conscious experience of that action (agency) are distinct processes and crucial mechanisms for self-consciousness. Yet, previous agency studies have focussed on actions of a finger or hand. Here, we...
The perspective from where the world is perceived is an important aspect of the bodily self and may break down in neurological conditions such as out-of-body experiences (OBEs). These striking disturbances are characterized by disembodiment, an external perspective and have been observed after temporoparietal damage. Using mental own body imagery, recent neuroimaging work has linked...
Neurological evidence suggests that disturbed vestibular processing may play a key role in triggering out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Little is known about the brain mechanisms during such pathological conditions, despite recent experimental evidence that the scientific study of such experiences may facilitate the development of neurobiological models of a crucial aspect of self-consciousness:...