Sensory-affective Interaction and Body Perception in BPD

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BPD is characterized by dissociative symptoms that include intermittent somatosensory integration deficits and alterations in body perception. Frontoparietal dysfunctions, especially involving the temporo parietal junction (TPJ), may represent key mechanisms related to the processing of and interaction between the self and the environment. Our proposed project aims at the elucidation of psychobiological mechanisms of dissociative states and the evaluation of their importance for the psychopathology of BPD. In study 1, after the induction of dissociation or a neutral control condition, we will perform experiments that use of the processing of pain and pleasant touch as a tool to understand the perceptual mechanisms related to dissociative states. In study 2, we will facilitate or inhibit the activity of the TPJ or a control site using a neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol. We will examine its effects on sensory integration associated with body perception and the processing of somatosensory stimuli with positive or negative valence, and their association with dissociation. By revealing the psychobiological basis and consequences of dissociative states, the results might enhance our understanding of the complex perceptual alterations in BPD.