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The pathways of interoceptive awareness.
Sahib S Khalsa1, David Rudrauf, Justin S Feinstein
1Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. skhalsa@mednet.ucla.edu
Nature Neuroscience
|November 3, 2009
Summary
Interoceptive awareness of heartbeat sensations does not solely rely on the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Somatosensory afferents and a broader brain network, including the insula and ACC, are crucial for this bodily awareness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cardiology
Background:
- The insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) have been traditionally considered the exclusive neural substrates for interoceptive awareness.
- Previous research has largely focused on these regions for understanding bodily self-awareness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the critical neural substrates for interoceptive awareness of heartbeat sensations.
- To determine if the insula and ACC are the sole mediators of this awareness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a combination of human lesion studies and pharmacological interventions.
- Assessed participants' ability to perceive heartbeat sensations under varying conditions.
Main Results:
- The insula and ACC were found not to be critical for the awareness of heartbeat sensations.
- Interoceptive awareness of heartbeats was mediated by somatosensory afferents from the skin.
- A broader network, including the insula and ACC, was involved in this awareness.
Conclusions:
- Interoceptive awareness is not solely dependent on the insula and ACC.
- Somatosensory pathways play a significant role in perceiving bodily states.
- A distributed neural network underlies the human experience of the body's cardiovascular state.
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