Interoceptive dysfunction: toward an integrated framework for understanding somatic and affective disturbance in...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Depression presents with diverse somatic symptoms and comorbidities, yet the link between cognitive and bodily dysfunction remains unclear.
• Interoception, the perception of internal bodily signals, is increasingly recognized for its role in mental health.
• Recent research highlights frequent alterations in somatic signaling and interoception within depressive states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence linking somatic signaling and interoception to depression.
• To propose an integrative framework for understanding interoceptive dysfunction in depression.
• To explore how disturbed interoception may contribute to core depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Review of comparative studies in rodent models (vagus-mediated effects).
• Analysis of human studies on neural substrates of interoception (vagus, insula, ACC).
• Examination of studies assessing sensitivity to bodily stimuli in depression.

Main Results:

• Evidence indicates altered somatic signaling and interoception in depression.
• Dysfunction in neural pathways for interoception and reduced sensitivity to bodily signals are observed in humans.
• Rodent models show vagus-mediated effects on depression-like behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Interoceptive dysfunction may arise from multiple pathways and interact with individual differences.
• A developmental psychobiological systems perspective is crucial for understanding susceptibility.
• Core depression symptoms like anhedonia and social deficits may stem from disrupted interoceptive-exteroceptive integration.