SynthesisFrontiers in systems neuroscience2026
EEG biomarkers of the sense of embodiment: methodological gaps and evidence-based recommendations from a systematic review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in systems neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Linking Embodiment, Simulator Sickness, and EEG Activity During XR-BCI Use: A Single-Participant Case Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Improving career guidance accuracy through EEG-based vocational interest assessment and self-reported RIASEC profiles.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: The sense of embodiment (SoE), describing the experience of owning, controlling, and being located within a body, underpins virtual reality (VR) interaction, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and multisensory body-illusion research. Although SoE is typically assessed through subjective questionnaires, their variability and limited validity have motivated the search for objective neural markers. Electroencephalography (EEG) has become the most widely used technique given its portability and high temporal resolution; however, the existence of a consistent EEG correlate of embodiment remains unclear. Methods: This systematic review summarizes 35 EEG studies (2010-June 2025) identified through structured database searches, examining SoE across immersive and non-immersive VR, augmented reality, and non-VR paradigms. We analyze EEG features including spectral power, event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), connectivity, and temporal dynamics, and examine methodological variability in illusion induction and SoE assessment. Results: Across studies, the reduction of the alpha-band over central-parietal regions emerges as the most recurrent correlate of embodiment. Beta-band decreases and gamma-band increases appear in several studies but lack consistent replication, while findings in Delta and Theta bands remain sparse and contradictory. Considerable heterogeneity is found in VR paradigms, EEG setups, preprocessing, and psychometric tools, contributing to inconsistent results and limiting cross-study comparability. Discussion: Critically, no EEG feature demonstrates sufficient reproducibility to qualify as a universal biomarker of SoE, and no standardized protocol for EEG-based embodiment assessment currently exists. Overall, this review highlights both the promise and current limitations of EEG-based approaches to measuring embodiment. We conclude by identifying methodological gaps and outlining recommendations to support the development of reliable EEG markers for future applications in VR rehabilitation, MI-BCIs, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.