Learning New Sensorimotor Contingencies: Effects of Long-Term Use of Sensory Augmentation on the Brain and Conscious Perception
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Longitudinal uncontrolled interventional study (by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
OpenAlex W2563465240 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166647
What was done
Participants trained in their natural environment for seven weeks using the feelSpace belt, an fMRI-compatible sensory augmentation device providing vibrotactile orientation signals toward magnetic north on the waist. Researchers evaluated the acquisition of new sensorimotor contingencies using electroencephalography (EEG) during sleep, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for brain activation changes, and subjective assessments of spatial perception and navigational ability.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or test statistics. Qualitatively, EEG recordings showed alterations in sleep architecture early in training, interpreted as reflecting procedural learning consolidation and increased sensorimotor processing. fMRI showed activity changes in sensory regions, higher motor centers, and navigation-related brain areas. Participants also reported subjective changes in spatial and belt-signal perception alongside increased trust in their navigational abilities.
Why it matters
This study provides empirical neuroimaging and physiological data supporting embodied cognition and sensorimotor contingency theory, showing that extended sensory augmentation device use can induce measurable neural and perceptual adaptations.
Limits
The abstract omits sample size, participant demographics, and control or sham comparators. No numerical data or statistical significance metrics are provided in the abstract, and persistence of effects after belt removal was not reported.
Cited by
- supports Researchers at Osnabrück developed a belt with vibratory motors and a digital compass that enables humans to sense geomagnetic north through vibrotactile feedback.