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We move in familiar and unfamiliar environments without constantly bumping into things, without falling over or losing our sense of "up" and "down”. With additional assistance from our familiar five senses, particularly vision, this feat is essentially achieved through a function called proprioception – our awareness of our own body in space.
How does this mysterious "sixth sense" work, to which no specific organ can be assigned? Brain researchers have documented the processes that are necessary to keep us from getting lost in space. Receptors in our muscles continuously send signals to our brain, which gives us a constant real-time update of our position in space. But what if this signaling pathway is turned off? This disorder is known to exist in only five people in the entire world – and the impact on their lives is dramatic.
Not all the mysteries surrounding the fascinating phenomenon of proprioception have been unraveled yet - but neuroscience is getting better at unlocking its secrets. Their research is supported by insights gained from astronauts in their travels to outer space. This is because living under zero-gravity conditions is comparable to living without a sense of one’s own body in space. It turns out that our sense of proprioception can also be trained, as is demonstrated by the members of a French aerobatic team, who run through their artistic maneuvers mentally before taking to the skies. And finally, the body control exerted by contemporary dancers shows how fascinating - and existential - this special function of our brain is.
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