Intestinal interoception: A nexus of environment-body-brain interactions

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Physiology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• The interoceptive system monitors internal body states, crucial for homeostasis and adaptation.
• Recent research identifies key cell types and circuits in homeostatic interoception and their environmental responses.
• Dysfunction in body-brain interactions is implicated in disease pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the anatomical and functional principles of interoception, emphasizing gut-brain communication.
• To examine the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors on gut-brain signaling.
• To explore interoceptive dysfunction in human diseases and the potential for interoceptive therapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of current research on interoception.
• Focus on anatomical and functional aspects of body-brain communication, particularly the gut-brain axis.
• Exploration of environmental influences and disease implications.

Main Results:

• Interoception involves body-brain feedback loops vital for adapting to environmental changes.
• Gut-brain signaling is significantly influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors.
• Interoceptive dysfunction is a common feature across various human diseases.

Conclusions:

• Understanding interoception is key to addressing diseases linked to body-brain communication breakdown.
• Interoceptive dysfunction represents a shared pathological mechanism in numerous diseases.
• Development of interoceptomimetics offers a promising therapeutic strategy for restoring homeostasis.