The Relationship Between Schizophrenia and Interoceptive Accuracy and Sensitivity: A Systematic Review and...

Interoception is the ability of a person to perceive, integrate, interpret and regulate signals from within the body. The progression of the disease in schizophrenic patients affects their interoceptive function, producing large differences regarding interoceptive accuracy and sensibility when compared with the healthy controls. However, empirical work has produced mixed results. The study used Rev Man 5.4 software to analyse the accuracy and sensitivity of interoception in schizophrenia and healthy controls. Six studies were included in this study with 190 patients and 399 healthy controls. A systematic literature search was conducted based on The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. It was pre-registered under CRD420251028401. Meta-analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference between schizophrenic patients and healthy controls in terms of interoceptive accuracy and sensitivity (interoceptive accuracy: I²=78%, SMD=-0.54, 95% CI:-1.03, -0.05; and interoceptive sensitivity: I²=75%, SMD=0.19,95% CI:-0.00,0.39). The results found a statistically significant difference in the lower accuracy and sensibility of interoception in patients with schizophrenia compared to normal subjects.