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BRNet 4 - Sion
The pathological body
The perception and the experience of the body in diseases
Friday 9th September, 2022
We are happy to announce that BRNet 4 will take place in Sion
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The body is generically defined as a limited portion of matter characterized by different properties that give it the feature of individuality. The body is, therefore, a natural object separated from other objects and, more specifically, from other bodies. Uniqueness, impenetrability, separateness and indivisibility emerge as founding properties of the body and, above all, of how we experience it. However, many pathological conditions challenge these assumptions showing how body perception and experience are fragile and liable to be confused, altered and easily deceived. Although disorders of body perception and experience have been described since the end of the nineteen century in different pathological conditions (e.g. stroke, eating disorders, deafferentation, spinal cord injuries, amputation, Body Integrity Identity Disorder, musculoskeletal disorders and pain) , fundamental questions remain about the functional and neural correlates of these alterations, the possibility to treat them and their overall impact in patients’ recovery.
In this context, innovative tools and applications for the assessment and the treatmentof alterations in body representations are receiving growing attention in research and clinical practice in the last years.
For this reason, with the present workshop, we would like to bring together not only researchers but also clinicians from different disciplines (e.g. psychology, neuropsychology, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, neurology, psychiatry, physical medicine, biomedical engineer, neuroscience), with the aim of communicating findings in alterations of body representations in various pathologies, sharing new methods for the evaluation and treatment in this field, discussing the actual clinical and research open issues and needs, and finally promoting awareness and dialogues among the experts from various
disciplines.
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To address these issues, the program of the BRNet 2022 comprises two sessions with short talks and keynote talks. During the day, we will also have poster presentations.
Check out the program for the day! Attendance at the workshop is free but space is limited, please REGISTER in advance. To bring your contribution, please check the call for abstracts.
The workshop is supported by Swiss National Science Foundation (grant IZSEZ0_212029 to MB), the HES-SO Valais Wallis, The Sense Innovation and Research Center and the Société Académique du Valais.
We look forward to seeing you in Switzerland.
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Francesca Garbarini & Michela Bassolino
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Francesca Frassinetti
University of Bologna, Italy
Prof. Francesca Frassinetti's research work focuses on the empirical investigation of body and space representations in both pathology and health. Specifically, she examines how brain lesions affect such representations, with an interest on the development of diagnostic and rehabilitative protocols.
Prof. Silvestro Micera
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH
Prof Micera’s work aims to develop implantable neural interfaces and robotic systems to restore sensorimotor function in people with different kind of disabilities (spinal cord injury, stroke, amputation, etc…), starting from basic scientific knowledge in the field of neuroscience, neurology and geriatrics, and investigating further to gain new information by using advanced technologies and protocols.