Abstract
Imagine that you are reaching for a cup of coffee. You experience that you are moving and that you have control of the movement you are executing. This feeling of control of your own body and the movements it is performing is called the sense of agency.
This thesis consists of four studies which investigate the sense of agency. The central aspect of the thesis work was to understand if brain lesioned children, diagnosed with hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy (CP), have an altered sense of agency, and if this different experience has an influence on the feeling of control of their movements and their actual motor disabilities.
Study I and II used non-invasive electrophysiological techniques (electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation) to investigate the underlying neural network which makes us capable of distinguishing between movements caused by ourselves and an external agent. The results showed coupled activity between sensorimotor areas which seem to be important to establish the sense of agency.
Study III is a behavioral study comparing a group of CP children with a group of typically developing children to explore if CP children show an altered sense of agency due to their sensorimotor and perceptual problems. The result showed that children with CP have a different perception of control, and that they attribute to a larger extend movements to themselves even though they were not responsible for them.
Study IV looked at how an intensive motor, perceptual and cognitive training program can change the sense of agency in children with CP. At the same time the study explored if this alteration of feeling in control of the movements has an impact on the children’s motor abilities.
The results showed that the CP children, who completed the training, displayed an improved performance in identifying their own movements and an optimized motor behavior.
In conclusion, the thesis has revealed a neural network between sensorimotor region which is important for understanding and experiencing own movements. Furthermore, brain lesioned children were found to display an altered perception of their own movements. However this perception can be optimized by intensive training. More research has to be carried out to investigate if the sense of agency should be a greater part of rehabilitation for brain lesioned patients in order to improve functionality.
This thesis consists of four studies which investigate the sense of agency. The central aspect of the thesis work was to understand if brain lesioned children, diagnosed with hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy (CP), have an altered sense of agency, and if this different experience has an influence on the feeling of control of their movements and their actual motor disabilities.
Study I and II used non-invasive electrophysiological techniques (electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation) to investigate the underlying neural network which makes us capable of distinguishing between movements caused by ourselves and an external agent. The results showed coupled activity between sensorimotor areas which seem to be important to establish the sense of agency.
Study III is a behavioral study comparing a group of CP children with a group of typically developing children to explore if CP children show an altered sense of agency due to their sensorimotor and perceptual problems. The result showed that children with CP have a different perception of control, and that they attribute to a larger extend movements to themselves even though they were not responsible for them.
Study IV looked at how an intensive motor, perceptual and cognitive training program can change the sense of agency in children with CP. At the same time the study explored if this alteration of feeling in control of the movements has an impact on the children’s motor abilities.
The results showed that the CP children, who completed the training, displayed an improved performance in identifying their own movements and an optimized motor behavior.
In conclusion, the thesis has revealed a neural network between sensorimotor region which is important for understanding and experiencing own movements. Furthermore, brain lesioned children were found to display an altered perception of their own movements. However this perception can be optimized by intensive training. More research has to be carried out to investigate if the sense of agency should be a greater part of rehabilitation for brain lesioned patients in order to improve functionality.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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| Forlag | Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen |
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| Antal sider | 123 |
| ISBN (Trykt) | 978 87 9177 154 5 |
| Status | Udgivet - 2013 |