Diseases, Disorders, and Comorbidities of Interoception

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Physiology

Background:

• Interoception, sensing internal bodily states, is crucial for homeostasis, motivation, emotions, and the sense of self.
• Dysfunctional interoceptive processing is linked to various neurological, psychiatric, and somatic disorders.
• Understanding interoceptive disorders is vital for brain-body interaction research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of interoceptive disorders.
• To highlight the role of interoception in health and disease.
• To suggest future research directions for diagnosis and management.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on interoception and its disorders.
• Synthesis of findings across psychiatric, neurological, and somatic conditions.
• Identification of key challenges and future research avenues.

Main Results:

• Interoceptive abnormalities are implicated in psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression.
• Disorders of interoception are observed in neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neurological conditions.
• Interoceptive mechanisms are central to functional digestive disorders and chronic pain.

Conclusions:

• Aberrant interoceptive signal integration and control disrupt physiological and psychological systems.
• Interoceptive disorders represent a significant area of study for brain-body interactions.
• Further research is needed for improved understanding, diagnosis, and management of interoceptive disorders.