Monday, January 12, 2026

How brain waves shape our sense of self

Karolinska Institutet

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals how rhythmic brain waves known as alpha oscillations help us distinguish between our own body and the external world. The findings offer new insights into how the brain integrates sensory signals to create a coherent sense of bodily self.

What makes you feel that your hand is yours? It might seem obvious, but the brain’s ability to tell self from non-self is a complex process.

Using a combination of behavioural experiments, brain recordings (EEG), brain stimulation, and computational modelling with a total of 106 participants, researchers from Karolinska Institutet investigated how the brain combines visual and tactile signals to create the feeling that a body part belongs to oneself – a phenomenon known as the sense of body ownership. Their experiments showed that the frequency of alpha waves in the parietal cortex, the brain region that processes sensory information from the body, determines how precisely we perceive our body as our own.

“We have identified a fundamental brain process that shapes our continuous experience of being embodied,” explains lead author Mariano D’Angelo, researcher at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. “The findings may provide new insights into psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, where the sense of self is disturbed.”

The rubber hand illusion

Participants took part in the rubber hand illusion, a classic method for studying the sense of body ownership. When touches on a visible rubber hand and the participant’s hidden real hand were synchronised, many reported feeling that the rubber hand was part of their body. But when the timing was off, that feeling faded.

The study found that individuals with faster alpha frequencies were more sensitive to timing differences between the seen and felt touches. They noted smaller timing differences, as if their brains operated at higher temporal resolution, resulting in a more precise sense of body ownership.

In contrast, slower alpha frequencies were linked to a broader ‘temporal binding window,’ causing the brain to treat more asynchronous visual and tactile signals as if they occurred together. This reduced temporal precision made it harder to separate self-related sensations from external ones, weakening the distinction between body and world.

Better prostheses and VR experiences

To test whether alpha frequency directly causes these perceptual effects, the researchers used non-invasive electrical brain stimulation to slightly speed up or slow down participants’ alpha waves. The results showed that adjusting the alpha frequency in this way also changed how precisely people experienced body ownership and how precisely they perceived visual and tactile stimuli as simultaneous. Computational models showed that alpha frequency influences how precisely the brain judges the timing of sensory signals, meaning that these brain waves regulate the temporal precision of perception and thereby help shape our sense of bodily self.

“Our findings help explain how the brain solves the challenge of integrating signals from the body to create a coherent sense of self,” says Henrik Ehrsson, professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and last author of the study. “This can contribute to the development of better prosthetic limbs and more realistic virtual reality experiences.”

The study was a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Aix-Marseille Université in France. It was funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Swedish Research Council, VINNOVA, StratNeuro and A*Midex. The researchers declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Publication: “Parietal alpha frequency shapes own-body perception by modulating the temporal integration of bodily signals”, Mariano D’Angelo, Renzo C. Lanfranco, Marie Chancel, H. Henrik Ehrsson, Nature Communications, online 12 January 2026, doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67657-w.

Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-67657-w

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Parietal alpha frequency shapes own-body perception by modulating the temporal integration of bodily signals

Article Publication Date

12-Jan-2026

Parkrun participation surging thanks to parkwalkers, new Stirling research shows

Every week 400,000 people take part in parkruns across the world, with the launch of parkwalkers - to support those walking the 5k routes - shown to have increased the proportion of new female participants and reversed a decline in the average age of new

University of Stirling

New research from the University of Stirling has revealed that introducing parkwalkers to parkrun events has led to a surge in those walking the routes.

The parkwalker role was introduced in October 2022 with volunteers donning a distinctive vest and asked to offer encouragement and conversation to make walkers feel more welcome at events.

Now a new study by Dr Andre Gilburn, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Stirling’s Faculty of Natural Sciences, has shown that their introduction has been successful in encouraging more people from underrepresented groups to take part, by removing the fear of being too slow that is known to deter people from taking part in physical activity.

The research, which analysed more than 31,000 participants from 68 parkrun venues across Scotland, shows that the number of walkers increased by 54.6 percent at events that partially engaged with parkwalkers and 55.3 percent at those fully engaged with the initiative - compared with 22 percent at those that didn’t.

The study also showed that finishing times became significantly slower at events after a parkwalker was introduced - pointing to an increased number of participants with a reduced pace, most notably women and older attendees.

Dr Gilburn explained: “These findings show that an active leisure event organiser can easily make changes to the social environment at their events that result in increased engagement.

“Introducing parkwalkers has been effective at encouraging older participants and women, therefore it is increasing inclusivity by encouraging those in under-represented groups to engage in parkrun.

“We know that the fear of being too slow is a barrier to engagement with physical activity, and this shows how that barrier can be successfully overcome.”

Dr Gilburn now hopes that practitioners who engage in social prescriptions of parkrun will now prioritise sending patients to events that feature a parkwalker.

He added: “Widely the findings of this study suggest that physical activity in a group context with encouragement from within the group is more effective than lone activity, therefore future initiatives aimed at encouraging walking might be more effective if they promote group walking.”

Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, GP and Health Partnerships Lead, parkrun UK said: “This research powerfully shows that small, thoughtful changes to the social environment can remove real barriers to physical activity. The parkwalker role has helped make parkrun feel more welcoming, particularly for people who may have previously felt it wasn’t ‘for them’."

The University of Stirling’s campus hosts a weekly parkrun around Airthrey Loch and Dr Gilburn is a regular participant.

Colin Sinclair, event director at the University of Stirling parkrun, said: "parkrun is all about participation and we're delighted that this research has shown the positive impact that the parkwalker initiative has had on numbers - especially in under-represented groups.

"At the University of Stirling parkrun we're always warmly welcoming new participants, whether they want to push for personal bests running the route or simply want to enjoy a social walk around one of the most scenic parkrun locations in the country. These findings proudly showcase parkrun's commitment to inclusivity and physical activity that is welcoming and open to all."

The study, Testing the effectiveness of a health intervention that manipulates the social environment at active leisure events in Scotland, was published in the Journal of Public Health Research.

parkwalkers have resulted in a spike in those taking part in events

Credit

parkrun