ABSTRACT
Several aspects of somatosensation require that immediate sensory signals be integrated with representations of body size and shape. Research has revealed that tactile size perception and position sense rely on distorted body representations. Such distortions raise a fundamental problem. The lack of proprioceptive afferent information is known to cause devastating impairments in skilled action, suggesting position sense is critical for skilled action. How can skilled action co-exist with distorted body representations? I review research on distorted body representations and discuss ways such distortions might be reconciled with dexterous action. I end with speculations about implications for our sensation of movement.
