Body Schema

Body schema is how the brain constructs a simplified model of the body to help monitor/control movements of the body, similar to how attention schema monitors/controls attention. The brain representation of the body’s spatial organization of action (position, shape, arrangement of body parts) is constantly updated as the body moves. The body schema is a set of central and peripheral neural networks that integrate sensory information from the body and external space. Body schemas control actions (orient the body to auditory events or avoid a mosquito). Also see: Body Image, Proprioception, Schema, and Self-Schema