Interoceptive dysfunction and its neural correlates in schizophrenia: protocol for a cross-sectional multimodal MRI...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Interoception, the perception of internal bodily signals, is crucial for emotional regulation and self-awareness.
• Disturbances in interoception are increasingly linked to psychopathology in schizophrenia.
• Previous research indicates significant impairments in interoceptive accuracy and sensitivity in individuals with schizophrenia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying interoceptive deficits in schizophrenia.
• To characterize the relationship between interoceptive dysfunction, clinical symptoms, and cognitive performance in schizophrenia.
• To explore potential therapeutic targets for schizophrenia by understanding interoceptive alterations.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 30 individuals with schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls.
• Utilized behavioral tasks (heartbeat counting), subjective questionnaires (MAIA, BPQ), clinical ratings (PANSS, HAM-A, HAM-D), and cognitive tests.
• Employed multimodal MRI (structural, resting-state fMRI, DTI) to analyze brain structure and function in interoception-related circuits.

Main Results:

• Anticipated reduced interoceptive accuracy and altered subjective awareness in schizophrenia.
• Expected abnormal neural activity and connectivity in brain regions like the anterior insula, ACC, amygdala, and thalamus.
• Hypothesized structural abnormalities in thalamo-cortical pathways and correlations between interoceptive deficits and clinical/cognitive measures.

Conclusions:

• This study will offer an integrated view of interoceptive dysfunction and its neural correlates in schizophrenia.
• Findings may enhance understanding of bodily self-disturbance and emotional dysregulation in schizophrenia.
• Results could inform the development of novel, interoception-focused interventions for schizophrenia.