AUTHOR=Biggio Monica , Escelsior Andrea , Murri Martino Belvederi , Trabucco Alice , Delfante Federico , da Silva Beatriz Pereira , Bisio Ambra , Serafini Gianluca , Bove Marco , Amore Mario 

TITLE=“Surrounded, detached”: the relationship between defensive peripersonal space and personality

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244364

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244364

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Personality shapes the cognitive, affective, and behavioural interactions between individuals and the environment. Defensive Peripersonal space (DPPS) is the projected interface between the body and the world with a protective function for the body. Previous studies suggest that DPPS displays interindividual variability that is associated with psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety. However, DPPS may share a link with personality traits. Fifty-five healthy participants were assessed with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) -Adult to evaluate personality dimensions. Subjects underwent the Hand Blink Reflex (HBR) task that estimates the DPPS limits by assessing the modulation of blink intensity in response to the median nerve stimulation. Data of the HBR was analysed with Bayesian multilevel models, while the relationship between DPPS and personality traits was explored using network analysis.HBR was best modelled using a piecewise linear regression model, with two distinct slope parameters for electromyographic data. Network analyses showed a positive correlation between the proximal slope and detachment personality trait, suggesting that individuals with higher scores in the detachment trait had an increased modulation of HBR, resulting in a larger extension of the DPPS. Features of the detachment personality trait include avoidance of interpersonal experiences, restricted affectivity, and suspiciousness, which affect interpersonal functioning. We suggest that DPPS may represent a characteristic feature of maladaptive personality traits, thus constitute a biomarker or a target for rehabilitative interventions.