R01MH128967

Spatial Self Boundary, Interpersonal Distance, and Social Impairments in Schizophrenia - Project Summary

Schizophrenia is a severe and debilitating psychotic disorder characterized by disturbances of the basic sense of self and social disconnection throughout the course of illness. The proposed project aims to elucidate the impact of self-disturbances on social impairments by focusing on one core aspect of the bodily self: the self-other boundary.

An implicit awareness of a clearly defined self-boundary is necessary for adaptive interactions with the external world. However, individuals with schizophrenia often experience a disrupted self-other boundary, making it difficult to distinguish their own behaviors from those of others. This complication undermines social interactions and frequently leads to social isolation, which further erodes interpersonal relationships and exacerbates self-disturbances, creating a destructive cycle.

Despite the chronicity and prevalence of self-disturbances and social impairments in schizophrenia, common mechanisms underlying disrupted self-other distinction and social impairments have not been extensively investigated. One major hurdle has been a lack of methodological tools to quantify the subjective phenomenology of self-disturbances.

To address this gap, we will utilize novel behavioral methods and leverage technological advances in immersive virtual reality (VR) to investigate two core aspects of self-other interactions in space: (1) the implicit multisensory action space around the self that determines one's self-other boundary (peripersonal space), and (2) the social construct of the interpersonal comfort space (interpersonal distance).

To estimate the implicit self-boundary in our participants, we will implement a basic visuo-tactile integration paradigm in VR adapted from neurophysiological studies of multisensory neurons in nonhuman primates. To assess the social comfort space that determines interpersonal distance, we will use the stop-distance paradigm in VR. This approach will allow us to quantify the self-other boundary in the context of social interactions and link it to its neural correlates. By doing so, we aim to specify mechanisms that connect these constructs and identify more precise targets for treatment.

Systematic examination of the peripersonal space and its relation to interpersonal distance regulation may be a first step towards identifying the role of self-disturbances in components of disrupted social behavior. This project will utilize mechanisms underlying multisensory integration processes to understand complex social behavior. Importantly, self-disturbances are common features of a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions. In fact, all forms of psychiatric disorders may be conceptualized as maladies of disrupted social homeostasis between the self and the social world. Therefore, this approach may be broadly applicable across multiple neuropsychiatric conditions that intersect with self-disorders and social impairments and will contribute towards the goals of the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) strategy.

Vanderbilt University

NOT APPLICABLE

93.242 - Mental Health Research Grants

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) [HHS - NIH]

Nashville, Tennessee 37203 United States

Single Zip Code

Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) (PAR-21-145)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 364% from $705,481 to $3,270,553.