Major Depressive Disorder Is Associated with Impaired Interoceptive Accuracy: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Interoception, the sense of the body's physiological state, is crucial for emotional regulation.
• Aberrant insula activity and impaired interoception are observed in major depressive disorder (MDD).
• Systematic reviews on interoceptive accuracy (IAc) in MDD are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize findings on interoceptive accuracy in MDD.
• To explore the relationship between interoceptive deficits and MDD severity and related symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES.
• Inclusion of studies assessing interoceptive accuracy (IAc) in MDD using heartbeat perception tasks.
• PRISMA protocol guidelines were followed for study selection and data extraction.

Main Results:

• Six studies met inclusion criteria, involving moderately depressed, severely depressed, and healthy samples.
• Moderately depressed individuals showed the most significant interoceptive deficits compared to healthy adults.
• Lower IAc correlated with decision-making difficulties and reduced affect intensity.
• Interoceptive accuracy appeared to normalize in severely depressed individuals.
• Potential confounding factors include sex, anxiety/panic disorder, and SSRI use.

Conclusions:

• Interoceptive impairments are a significant feature of MDD, particularly in moderate depression.
• IAc deficits may be linked to cognitive and emotional symptoms in MDD.
• Findings suggest potential for interoception-focused interventions in MDD treatment and relapse prevention.