A Stratified Analysis of Body Perception, Interoception and Somatosensory Brain Processing in Healthy Adults

Body perception refers to the capacity to perceive internal and external bodily stimuli via brain somatosensory processing. Research on body perception has focused on specific dimensions rather than in a multidimensional way. Body perception levels were assessed in 120 adults through two self-reported questionnaires. Some domains of self-reported body perception (body awareness, public consciousness, body competence) were notably affected by age and sex. Subsequently, sensitivity to exteroceptive and interoceptive stimuli was assessed in the 55 participants with higher and lower body perception. Self-reported body perception was associated with pain sensitivity, but not to interoception. Individuals with high body perception exhibited higher pain sensitivity. Body awareness, a subdimension of the Scale of Body Connection, was a key domain distinguishing individual with high versus low body perception. An additional analysis of tactile somatosensory event-related potentials (SEPs) was conducted in the 42 participants with higher and lower body awareness. Individuals with heightened body awareness displayed increased amplitudes in SEPs associated with attention processes. In conclusion, body awareness appears to be an essential element for exploring body perception and its connections with physiological mechanisms. Evaluating body awareness in clinical environments would be relevant for recognizing dysfunctional body perception and creating modulatory interventions.