# Spatial Self Boundary, Interpersonal Distance and Social Impairments in Schizophrenia

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $705,481

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Schizophrenia is a severe and debilitating psychotic disorder, characterized by disturbances of the basic sense
of self and social disconnection throughout the course of illness. The proposed project aims to elucidate the
impact of self-disturbances in social impairments by focusing on one core aspect of the bodily self, the self-other
boundary. An implicit awareness of clearly defined self-boundary is a prerequisite for adaptive interactions with
the external world. In individuals with schizophrenia, however, a disrupted self-other boundary complicates the
process of distinguishing one’s own behaviors from those of others, thereby undermining social interactions.
Loss of social opportunities often leads to social isolation, which further erodes interpersonal relationships and
exacerbates self-disturbances, setting up a destructive cycle.
Despite the chronicity and prevalence of self-disturbances and social impairments in schizophrenia, common
mechanisms underlying disrupted self-other distinction and social impairments have not been extensively
investigated. One major hurdle has been a lack of methodological tools to quantify the subjective phenomenology
of self-disturbances. We will utilize novel behavioral methods and leverage the technological advances in
immersive virtual reality (VR) to investigate two core aspects of self-other interactions in space: (1) the implicit
multisensory action space around the self that determines one’s self-other boundary (peripersonal space); (2)
the social construct of the interpersonal comfort space (interpersonal distance). To estimate the implicit self-
boundary in our participants, we will implement a basic visuo-tactile integration paradigm in VR adapted from
neurophysiological studies of multisensory neurons in nonhuman primates. To assess the social comfort space
that determines interpersonal distance, we will use the stop-distance paradigm in VR. This approach will allow
us to quantify the self-other boundary in the context of social interactions and link to their neural correlates. We
will specify mechanisms that connect these constructs to identify more precise targets for treatment.
Systematic examination of the peripersonal space and its relation to interpersonal distance regulation may be a
first step towards identifying the role of self-disturbances in components of disrupted social behavior. This project
will utilize mechanisms underlying multisensory integration processes to understand complex social behavior.
Self‐disturbances are common features of a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions. Indeed, all forms of
psychiatric disorders may be conceptualized as maladies of disrupted social homeostasis between the self and
the social world. Thus, this approach may be broadly applicable across multiple neuropsychiatric conditions that
intersect with self-disorders and social impairments and will contribute towards the goals of the NIMH Research
Domain Criteria (RDoC) strategy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10374251
- **Project number:** 1R01MH128967-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SOHEE PARK
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $705,481
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10374251

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10374251, Spatial Self Boundary, Interpersonal Distance and Social Impairments in Schizophrenia (1R01MH128967-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-04 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10374251. Licensed CC0.

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