Fooling the brain by mirroring the hand: Brain correlates of the perceptual capture of limb ownership.

BACKGROUND Mirror therapy (MT) is an increasingly employed method aimed at reducing phantom pain and other negative sensations following loss of a limb or damage to sensorimotor systems. However, the brain processes associated with the perception of limb ownership, a key correlate of MT, are unknown. OBJECTIVE To examine whether transient perceptions of limb ownership together with associated neural activity can be elucidated using a purpose-developed mirror reflection task combined with electrophysiological (EEG) measures and cutting-edge analyses. METHODS Brain activity was measured online using EEG in 20 healthy controls while they produced opening-closing movements of one hand in control conditions or while viewing the mirror reflection of the movements. The key experimental condition required participants to make a foot pedal response whenever a change in perception of ownership (of a mirror-reflected limb) occurred (Mirror condition). Control conditions and a strict epoching regime were employed using standard subtractive logic to isolate the perception of limb ownership (which was further verified by self-reports). RESULTS Data from 15 participants were suitable for complete analysis; the remaining reported no experience of ownership. Significant spectral power increases were found in central-parietal regions in association with perceptions of ownership, with the most prominent effect specific to the alpha frequency band (8-13 Hz) measured at the right parietal area. Source localization analyses further identified brain networks associated with the mirror reflection condition in the alpha frequency (parietal lobe) and the beta frequency (middle temporal areas). These were distinct from localized networks associated with the foot pedal response. CONCLUSION Transient perceptions of ownership can be captured experimentally, and are associated with localized sites of neural activation. This is an initial step toward eventual development of therapeutic targets for interventions including brain computer interfaces (BCIs) aimed at ameliorating the negative effects associated with impaired or missing limbs.