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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Published on: October 6, 2011

Brain structures mediating cardiovascular arousal and interoceptive awareness.

Olga Pollatos¹, Rainer Schandry, Dorothee P Auer

¹Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. pollatos@psy.uni-muenchen.de

|February 14, 2007

Summary

This study reveals key brain regions, including the insula and dorsal cingulate gyrus, involved in processing bodily sensations and negative emotions. These areas connect interoceptive awareness with feelings, influencing emotional experiences.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychophysiology
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

Emotions correlate with distinct bodily states, but the brain structures linking bodily changes and their perception remain unclear.
Understanding these neural connections is crucial for explaining how bodily signals influence behavior and emotional states.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify brain structures activated during interoceptive awareness of heartbeats and cardiovascular arousal.
To investigate brain regions connecting interoception with emotional feelings.
To explore the neural basis of experiencing negative emotions.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study brain activity.
Participants performed an interoceptive task focusing on heartbeats versus an exteroceptive task.
Brain activity was analyzed during interoceptive awareness, cardiovascular arousal, and their conjunction.

Main Results:

The insula, medial frontal/dorsal cingulate gyrus, and somatomotor cortex were activated during interoceptive awareness of heartbeats.
The right thalamus, insula, somatomotor cortex, dorsal cingulate, and medial frontal gyrus were mutually activated during interoceptive awareness and cardiovascular arousal.
Increased interoceptive awareness correlated with heightened insula and medial frontal/dorsal cingulate activation.
Negative feelings were associated with activation in the dorsal cingulate gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.

Conclusions:

The insula, dorsal cingulate gyrus, and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex are specifically involved in processing cardiac sensations.
The dorsal cingulate gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex are implicated as neural substrates for experiencing negative emotions.