About this Research Topic
Productive – or positive – symptoms can be defined as behavioural manifestations that are characterized by the active generation of acts or verbal reports, reflecting a distorted mental representation of reality. In particular, we are referring to productive symptoms associated with right brain damage. Depending on the spatial frame of their manifestation, these symptoms can involve near extrapersonal / peripersonal space, for instance perseverations, or personal space, such as in the case of somatoparaphrenia.
Productive behaviours may be acute, manifesting in the early phase after right brain damage, or chronic, persisting even months after the brain damage has occurred. In both cases, these symptoms massively although indirectly, affect the clinical and cognitive outcome of patients. Nowadays, no rehabilitative techniques specifically targeting productive symptoms are available, mainly because we know very little about these symptoms thus the theoretical background cannot support the development of reliable paradigms.
The actual leading idea from recent studies is that productive symptoms in extrapersonal and personal space might be underpinned by different mechanisms. Lesion studies are providing initial evidence for specific anatomical correlates much as cognitive investigations for specific mechanisms. Functional anatomical studies are needed to test explicitly some of the theories proposed to further explain these complex phenomena.
This research topic has several aims:
i) To highlight dissociations and associations between extrapersonal and peripersonal productive symptoms, both in patients and in healthy subjects (induced through manipulations);
ii) To advance the knowledge of the neural basis of productive symptoms, in the extrapersonal and peripersonal space, by means of results from diverse techniques such as fMRI, PET, and electrophysiological recordings.
iii) To propose strategies and techniques to transfer this theoretical knowledge in the clinical setting.
Submissions of original data coming from human studies, both on patients and on healthy subjects, are welcome. Furthermore, we also encourage reviews, opinion and perspective papers summarizing and commenting on existing theories, pending that a critical perspective is adopted.
Productive behaviours may be acute, manifesting in the early phase after right brain damage, or chronic, persisting even months after the brain damage has occurred. In both cases, these symptoms massively although indirectly, affect the clinical and cognitive outcome of patients. Nowadays, no rehabilitative techniques specifically targeting productive symptoms are available, mainly because we know very little about these symptoms thus the theoretical background cannot support the development of reliable paradigms.
The actual leading idea from recent studies is that productive symptoms in extrapersonal and personal space might be underpinned by different mechanisms. Lesion studies are providing initial evidence for specific anatomical correlates much as cognitive investigations for specific mechanisms. Functional anatomical studies are needed to test explicitly some of the theories proposed to further explain these complex phenomena.
This research topic has several aims:
i) To highlight dissociations and associations between extrapersonal and peripersonal productive symptoms, both in patients and in healthy subjects (induced through manipulations);
ii) To advance the knowledge of the neural basis of productive symptoms, in the extrapersonal and peripersonal space, by means of results from diverse techniques such as fMRI, PET, and electrophysiological recordings.
iii) To propose strategies and techniques to transfer this theoretical knowledge in the clinical setting.
Submissions of original data coming from human studies, both on patients and on healthy subjects, are welcome. Furthermore, we also encourage reviews, opinion and perspective papers summarizing and commenting on existing theories, pending that a critical perspective is adopted.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
