Novel technological and methodological advancements for the study of central and peripheral nervous system activity in individuals and dyads

This dissertation presents a multidisciplinary exploration of advanced neuromodulation and neuroimaging methods to understand how the central and autonomic nervous systems support the interaction with the body and the social environment. The first chapter examines the use of Focused Ultrasound (FUS) as a neuromodulation tool, emphasizing the role of acoustical numerical simulations for enhancing precision in targeting deep brain structures using realistic human head models. Chapter two investigates the neural mechanisms underlying body representation by employing a combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electroencephalography (EEG), and immersive virtual reality (IVR). This study provides insights into how neural markers of error processing interact with body awareness. In the third Chapter, a novel multiverse analysis approach is applied to measure interpersonal physiological synchrony in social interactions, revealing how different analytical choices can impact results. Together, these studies showcase innovative techniques and methods that contribute to the study of cognitive and social neuroscience. The findings provide a roadmap for future combined neurostimulation and recording applications that support the development of intelligent systems inspired by human physiology and neural dynamics.