The effects of right temporoparietal junction stimulation on embodiment, presence, and performance in teleoperation

Valentina Cesari; Graziella Orrù; Andrea Piarulli; Alessandra Vallefuoco; Franca Melfi; Angelo Gemignani; Danilo Menicucci; Valentina Cesari; Graziella Orrù; Andrea Piarulli; Alessandra Vallefuoco; Franca Melfi; Angelo Gemignani; Danilo Menicucci

doi:10.3934/Neuroscience.2024022

AIMS Neuroscience

2024, Volume 11, Issue 3: 352-373. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2024022

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Research article

The effects of right temporoparietal junction stimulation on embodiment, presence, and performance in teleoperation

1.
Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
2.
Clinical Psychology Branch, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy

Received: 24 July 2024 Revised: 26 August 2024 Accepted: 04 September 2024 Published: 10 September 2024

Embodiment (the sensation that arises when the properties of an external instrument are processed as if they are the attributes of one's own biological body) and (tele)presence (the sensation of being fully engaged and immersed in a location other than the physical space occupied by one's body) sustain the perception of the physical self and potentially improve performance in teleoperations (a system that enables human intelligence to control robots and requires implementing an effective human-machine interface). Embodiment and presence may be interdependent and influenced by right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) activity. We investigated the interplay between embodiment, (tele)presence, and performance in teleoperation, focusing on the role of the rTPJ. Participants underwent a virtual reality task with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) twice, receiving either active or sham stimulation. Behavioral measures (driving inaccuracy, elapsed time in the lap, time spent in attentional lapses, short-term self-similarity, and long-term self-similarity), perceived workload (mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, own performance, effort, and frustration), embodiment's components (ownership, agency, tactile sensations, location, and external appearance), and presence's components (realism, possibility to act, quality of interface, possibility to examine, self-evaluation of performance, haptic, and sounds) were assessed. The results showed that rTPJ stimulation decreased perceived ownership but enhanced presence with changes in the complexity of visuomotor adjustments (long and short-term self-similarity indices). Structural equation modeling revealed that embodiment increased visuomotor inaccuracy (a composite variable of overall performance, including deviations from the optimal trajectory and the time taken to complete the task), presence reduced workload, and workload increased inaccuracy. These results suggested a dissociation between embodiment and presence, with embodiment hindering performance. Prioritizing virtual integration may lower human performance, while reduced workload from presence could aid engagement. These findings emphasize the intricate interplay between rTPJ, subjective experiences, and performance in teleoperation.
- brain modulation,
- consciousness,
- ownership,
- performance,
- presence,
- tDCS,
- virtual reality
Citation: Valentina Cesari, Graziella Orrù, Andrea Piarulli, Alessandra Vallefuoco, Franca Melfi, Angelo Gemignani, Danilo Menicucci. The effects of right temporoparietal junction stimulation on embodiment, presence, and performance in teleoperation[J]. AIMS Neuroscience, 2024, 11(3): 352-373. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2024022

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Abstract

Embodiment (the sensation that arises when the properties of an external instrument are processed as if they are the attributes of one's own biological body) and (tele)presence (the sensation of being fully engaged and immersed in a location other than the physical space occupied by one's body) sustain the perception of the physical self and potentially improve performance in teleoperations (a system that enables human intelligence to control robots and requires implementing an effective human-machine interface). Embodiment and presence may be interdependent and influenced by right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) activity. We investigated the interplay between embodiment, (tele)presence, and performance in teleoperation, focusing on the role of the rTPJ. Participants underwent a virtual reality task with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) twice, receiving either active or sham stimulation. Behavioral measures (driving inaccuracy, elapsed time in the lap, time spent in attentional lapses, short-term self-similarity, and long-term self-similarity), perceived workload (mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, own performance, effort, and frustration), embodiment's components (ownership, agency, tactile sensations, location, and external appearance), and presence's components (realism, possibility to act, quality of interface, possibility to examine, self-evaluation of performance, haptic, and sounds) were assessed. The results showed that rTPJ stimulation decreased perceived ownership but enhanced presence with changes in the complexity of visuomotor adjustments (long and short-term self-similarity indices). Structural equation modeling revealed that embodiment increased visuomotor inaccuracy (a composite variable of overall performance, including deviations from the optimal trajectory and the time taken to complete the task), presence reduced workload, and workload increased inaccuracy. These results suggested a dissociation between embodiment and presence, with embodiment hindering performance. Prioritizing virtual integration may lower human performance, while reduced workload from presence could aid engagement. These findings emphasize the intricate interplay between rTPJ, subjective experiences, and performance in teleoperation.

Abbreviations

ANOVA

Analysis of Variance

AVE

Average Variance Extracted

CFA

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

DEM

Demand

EMB

Embodiment

EFA

Exploratory Factor Analysis

INACC

Inaccuracy

MGA

multi-group analysis

PRES

Presence

PLS-SEM

Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling

rTPJ

right temporoparietal junction

STAB

Stability

tDCS

transcranial direct current stimulation

Virtual Reality

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by MUR (Ministry of University and Research), by the University of Pisa, and by European Union - Next Generation EU, in the context of The National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Investment 1.5 Ecosystems of Innovation, Project Tuscany Health Ecosystem (THE), Spoke 3 “Advanced technologies, methods, materials and health analytics” CUP: B83C22003920001.”

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Author contributions

Valentina Cesari: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Conceptualization. Graziella Orrù: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation. Andrea Piarulli: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Data curation. Alessandra Vallefuoco: Writing – review & editing, Investigation, Data curation. Franca Melfi: Writing – review & editing, Conceptualization. Angelo Gemignani: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Conceptualization, Supervision. Danilo Menicucci Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Supervision, Investigation, Formal analysis, Project administration.

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