Abstract
The senses, along with movement, the vestibular system and spatial memory, cover both perceptive and cognitive functions, calling on and revealing the full complexity of the brain. They play an essential role in the construction of the self and in interaction with others and the world.
The fruit of an interdisciplinary dialogue dear to Alain Berthoz, these discoveries have renewed our conception of perception and action, as well as of the brain and neuroscience. In his closing lecture, the neurophysiologist looks back on the projects that have fueled his thinking and enabled him, thanks to novel technological devices, to uncover the impact of perception not only on the development of certain diseases, but also on societal and cultural issues. Today, this work has applications in child psychiatry, and inspires robotics, virtual worlds and pedagogy.
