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Zhang Y, Zhang J, Xie M, Ding N, Zhang Y, Qin P. Dual interaction between heartbeat-evoked responses and stimuli. Neuroimage 2023; 266:119817. [PMID: 36535320 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Heartbeat-evoked responses (HERs) can interact with external stimuli and play a crucial role in shaping perception, self-related processes, and emotional processes. On the one hand, the external stimulus could modulate HERs. On the other hand, the HERs could affect cognitive processing of the external stimulus. Whether the same neural mechanism underlies these two processes, however, remains unclear. Here, we investigated this interactive mechanism by measuring HERs using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and two name perception tasks. Specifically, we tested (1) how hearing a subject's own name (SON) modulates HERs and (2) how the judgment of an SON is biased by prestimulus HERs. The results showed a dual interaction between HERs and SON. In particular, SON can modulate HERs for heartbeats occurring from 200 to 1200 ms after SON presentation. In addition, prestimulus HERs can bias the SON judgment when a stimulus is presented. Importantly, MEG activities from these two types of interactions differed in spatial and temporal patterns, suggesting that they may be associated with distinct neural pathways. These findings extend our understanding of brain-heart interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianfeng Zhang
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Musi Xie
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nai Ding
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Pengmin Qin
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China; Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou, China.
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2
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Cardiac–Brain Dynamics Depend on Context Familiarity and Their Interaction Predicts Experience of Emotional Arousal. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060702. [PMID: 35741588 PMCID: PMC9220998 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Our brain continuously interacts with the body as we engage with the world. Although we are mostly unaware of internal bodily processes, such as our heartbeats, they may be influenced by and in turn influence our perception and emotional feelings. Although there is a recent focus on understanding cardiac interoceptive activity and interaction with brain activity during emotion processing, the investigation of cardiac–brain interactions with more ecologically valid naturalistic emotional stimuli is still very limited. We also do not understand how an essential aspect of emotions, such as context familiarity, influences affective feelings and is linked to statistical interaction between cardiac and brain activity. Hence, to answer these questions, we designed an exploratory study by recording ECG and EEG signals for the emotional events while participants were watching emotional movie clips. Participants also rated their familiarity with the stimulus on the familiarity scale. Linear mixed effect modelling was performed in which the ECG power and familiarity were considered as predictors of EEG power. We focused on three brain regions, including prefrontal (PF), frontocentral (FC) and parietooccipital (PO). The analyses showed that the interaction between the power of cardiac activity in the mid-frequency range and the power in specific EEG bands is dependent on familiarity, such that the interaction is stronger with high familiarity. In addition, the results indicate that arousal is predicted by cardiac–brain interaction, which also depends on familiarity. The results support emotional theories that emphasize context dependency and interoception. Multimodal studies with more realistic stimuli would further enable us to understand and predict different aspects of emotional experience.
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3
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Zhou H, Zou H, Dai Z, Zhao S, Hua L, Xia Y, Han Y, Yan R, Tang H, Huang Y, Du Y, Wang X, Yao Z, Lu Q. Interoception Dysfunction Contributes to the Negative Emotional Bias in Major Depressive Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:874859. [PMID: 35479498 PMCID: PMC9035634 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.874859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous research studies have demonstrated that impaired interoception is involved in emotional information processing in major depressive disorder (MDD). Heartbeat-evoked potential (HEP) amplitudes, an index for interoception, could be manipulated by emotional faces in healthy people. Considering negative emotional bias is the core characteristic in MDD, we hypothesized that interoception dysfunction was associated with the negative emotional bias in MDD. Methods An electroencephalogram (EEG) study under an emotional faces task was applied to explore the relationship between interoception and emotional bias. HEPs before emotional faces stimuli were used to predict the late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes and it worked as an index of emotional bias. Twenty-seven patients with MDD and 27 healthy controls (HCs) participated in this study. Source analysis gave an auxiliary description for results in sensory level. Results Major depressive disorders (MDDs) had poor performance in the heartbeat count task (HCT) and attenuate HEP average amplitudes (455-550 ms). Compared with HCs, cluster-based permutation t-tests revealed that MDDs had attenuated LPP amplitudes (300-1,000 ms) over centroparietal regions and enhanced LPP amplitudes over frontocentral regions. Furthermore, abnormal attenuated HEPs could predict aberrant LPPs under sad face stimuli in MDDs, which could be associated with the dysfunction of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and right insula. Conclusion Mediated by ACC and insula, interoception dysfunction contributes to the negative emotional bias of MDD, highlighting the importance of interoception in the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongliang Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haowen Zou
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhongpeng Dai
- School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lingling Hua
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yingling Han
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rui Yan
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yinghong Huang
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yishan Du
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhijian Yao
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qing Lu
- School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science of Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China
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4
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Gatus A, Jamieson G, Stevenson B. Past and Future Explanations for Depersonalization and Derealization Disorder: A Role for Predictive Coding. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:744487. [PMID: 35321264 PMCID: PMC8934883 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.744487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Depersonalization (DP) and derealization (DR) refer to states of dissociation in which one feels a sense of alienation in relation to one's self and environment, respectively. Whilst transient episodes often diminish without treatment, chronic experiences of DP and DR may last for years, with common treatments lacking a strong evidence base for their efficacy. We propose a theoretical explanation of DP and DR based on interoceptive predictive coding, and discuss how transient experiences of DP and DR may be induced in the non-clinical population using virtual reality. Further, we review the use of heartbeat evoked potentials in detecting the neural correlates of DP and DR allowing for an objective measure of these experiences in the non-clinical population. Finally, we discuss how the induction and detection of transient experiences of DP and DR in the non-clinical population could shed light on how the brain constructs one's sense of self and reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gatus
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
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Bogdány T, Perakakis P, Bódizs R, Simor P. The heartbeat evoked potential is a questionable biomarker in nightmare disorder: A replication study. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 33:102933. [PMID: 34990964 PMCID: PMC8743245 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Perogamvros et al. (2013) examined heart beat evoked potential (HEP) in nightmare sufferers. Increased HEP was proposed to be a robust biomarker in nightmare disorder. We aimed to replicate the original study in two separate and larger databases. We did not confirm the original finding showing differential HEP in REM sleep. Our data cast doubts on the utility of HEP as a biomarker in nightmare disorder.
Frequent nightmares are highly prevalent and constitute a risk factor for a wide range of psychopathological conditions. Despite its prevalence and clinical relevance however, the pathophysiological mechanisms of nightmares are poorly understood. A recent study (Perogamvros et, al 2019) examined the heart beat evoked potential (HEP) in a small group of nightmare sufferers (N = 11) and matched healthy controls (N = 11) and observed markedly different (Hedges’ g = 1.42 [0.62–2.22]) HEP response across the groups during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Moreover, the HEP correlated with depression scores in the nightmare group only. The authors concluded that the HEP in REM sleep could be used as a trait-like biomarker reflecting pathological emotional-and sleep regulation in nightmare disorder. To replicate the above study, we performed the same analyses of HEPs in two separate, and larger databases comprising the polysomnographic recordings of nightmare sufferers and matched controls (NStudy 1 = 39 ; NStudy 2 = 41). In contrast to the original findings, we did not observe significant differences in HEP across the two groups in either of the two databases. Moreover, we found no associations between depression scores and HEP amplitudes in the relevant spatiotemporal cluster. Our data cast doubts on the utility of HEP as a biomarker in the diagnostic and treatment procedures of nightmare disorder and suggests that the interpretation of HEP as a marker of impaired arousal and emotional processing during REM sleep is premature and requires further validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Bogdány
- Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Pandelis Perakakis
- Department of Social, Work, and Differential Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
| | - Róbert Bódizs
- Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Simor
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; UR2NF, Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit at CRCN - Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences and UNI - ULB Neurosciences Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
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6
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Ren Q, Marshall AC, Schütz-Bosbach S. Response Inhibition is Disrupted by Interoceptive Processing at Cardiac Systole. Biol Psychol 2022; 170:108323. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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7
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Marshall AC, Gentsch-Ebrahimzadeh A, Schütz-Bosbach S. From the inside out: Interoceptive feedback facilitates the integration of visceral signals for efficient sensory processing. Neuroimage 2022; 251:119011. [PMID: 35182753 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroscientific studies have mainly focused on the way humans perceive and interact with the external world. Recent work in the interoceptive domain indicates that the brain predictively models information from inside the body such as the heartbeat and that the efficiency with which this is executed can have implications for exteroceptive processing. However, to date direct evidence underpinning these hypotheses is lacking. Here, we show how the brain predictively refines neural resources to process afferent cardiac feedback and uses these interoceptive cues to enable more efficient processing of external sensory information. Participants completed a repetition-suppression paradigm consisting of a neutral repeating face. During the first face presentation, they heard auditory feedback of their heartbeat which either coincided with the systole of the cardiac cycle, the time at which cardiac events are registered by the brain or the diastole during which the brain receives no internal cardiac feedback. We used electroencephalography to measure the heartbeat evoked potential (HEP) as well as auditory (AEP) and visual evoked potentials (VEP). Exteroceptive cardiac feedback which coincided with the systole produced significantly higher HEP amplitudes relative to feedback timed to the diastole. Elevation of the HEP in this condition was followed by significant suppression of the VEP in response to the repeated neutral face and a stepwise decrease of AEP amplitude to repeated heartbeat feedback. Our results hereby show that exteroceptive heartbeat feedback coinciding with interoceptive signals at systole enhanced interoceptive cardiac processing. Furthermore, the same cue facilitating interoceptive integration enabled efficient suppression of a visual stimulus, as well as repetition suppression of the AEP across successive auditory heartbeat feedback. Our findings provide evidence that the alignment of external to internal signals can enhance the efficiency of interoceptive processing and that cues facilitating this process in either domain have beneficial effects for internal as well as external sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Marshall
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, LMU Munich, Germany.
| | | | - Simone Schütz-Bosbach
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, LMU Munich, Germany
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Davey S, Halberstadt J, Bell E. Where is emotional feeling felt in the body? An integrative review. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261685. [PMID: 34936672 PMCID: PMC8694467 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Contemporary research on "embodied emotion" emphasizes the role of the body in emotional feeling. The evidence base on interoception, arguably the most prominent strand of embodied emotion research, places emphasis on the cardiac, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. In turn, interoception has evidence-based links with improved emotion regulation. Despite the focus on separate bodily systems, it is unclear whether particular interoceptive locations play a greater role in emotional feeling and emotion regulation. Further, according to Gross' "process model", the sooner that regulation of an emotion occurs, the better; hence, it is additionally important to identify the first body areas to activate. These issues are investigated in a two-stage integrative review. The first stage was preliminary, giving an overview of the evidence base to highlight the distribution of measured body areas. This indicated that 86% of publications (n = 88) measured cardiac activity, 26% measured the respiratory system, and six percent the gastrointestinal system. Given the emphasis placed on all three systems in interoception theory and research on emotion, this suggests a dearth of comprehensive findings pertaining to feeling locations. The second stage investigated the core issues of where emotional feelings are felt in the body and time-related implications for regulation. This was based on ten texts, which together suggested that the head, throat and chest are the most consistently detected locations across and within numerous emotional contexts. Caution is required, however, since-among other reasons discussed-measurement was not time-restricted in these latter publications, and direct physiological measurement was found in only a minority of cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Davey
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Elliot Bell
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
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9
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Prentice F, Murphy J. Sex differences in interoceptive accuracy: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:497-518. [PMID: 34838927 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Interoceptive accuracy, the ability to correctly perceive internal signals arising from the body, is thought to be disrupted in numerous mental and physical health conditions. Whilst evidence suggests poorer interoceptive accuracy in females compared to males, raising the possibility that interoceptive differences may relate to sex differences in mental and physical health, results concerning sex differences in interoceptive accuracy are mixed. Given such ambiguity, this meta-analysis aimed to establish the presence or absence of sex differences in interoceptive accuracy across cardiac, respiratory, and gastric domains. A review of 7956 abstracts resulted in 93 eligible studies. Results demonstrated superior accuracy in males across cardiac, but not gastric, tasks, while findings on respiratory tasks were mixed. Effect sizes were consistent across cardiac tasks, but instability and/or moderate heterogeneity was observed across other domains, likely due to the small number of eligible studies. Despite such limitations, results indicate the possibility of sex differences across interoception tasks and domains. Methodological limitations concerning the influence of physiological factors, and directions for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya Prentice
- Developmental Neurosciences Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, United Kingdom.
| | - Jennifer Murphy
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom
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10
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Schroter FA, Günther BA, Jansen P. The effects of subliminal or supraliminal sadness induction on the sense of body ownership and the role of dissociative symptoms. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22274. [PMID: 34782628 PMCID: PMC8592987 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01039-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has shown that emotions can alter our sense of ownership. Whether this relationship is modulated by differences in emotion experience and awareness, however, remains unclear. We investigated this by comparing the susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI) between participants who were either exposed to a low-arousing emotion induction (sadness) or placed in a neutral control group. Several factors that might influence this relationship were considered: dissociative symptoms were included to observe if a sadness induction led to a higher RHI score in participants scoring high in dissociation, as a result of detached emotion experience. Whether the level of awareness of the emotion mattered was also tested, as subliminal processing was shown to require less focal attention. Therefore, our sample (N = 122) was divided into three experimental groups: Sad pictures were presented to two of the three groups differing in presentation mode (subliminal: n = 40, supraliminal: n = 41), neutral pictures were presented supraliminally to the control group (n = 41). Additionally, the effects of slow (3 cm/s) and fast (30 cm/s) stroking, applied either synchronously or asynchronously, were examined as the comforting effects of stroking might interfere with the emotion induction. Results showed that the supraliminal sadness induction was associated with a stronger subjective illusion, but not with a higher proprioceptive drift compared to the subliminal induction. In addition, a stronger subjective illusion after fast and synchronous stroking was found compared to slow and asynchronous stroking. A significant proprioceptive drift was detected independent of group and stroking style. Both slow and synchronous stroking were perceived as more comforting than their respective counterparts. Participants with higher dissociative symptoms were more susceptible to the subjective illusion, especially in the supraliminal group in the synchronous condition. We concluded that individual differences in emotion experience are likely to play a role in body ownership. However, we cannot clarify at this stage whether differences in proprioception and the subjective illusion depend on the type of emotion experienced (e.g. different levels of arousal) and on concomitant changes in multisensory integration processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bianca A Günther
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Petra Jansen
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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11
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Brewer R, Murphy J, Bird G. Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:470-508. [PMID: 34358578 PMCID: PMC8522807 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The inadequacy of a categorial approach to mental health diagnosis is now well-recognised, with many authors, diagnostic manuals and funding bodies advocating a dimensional, trans-diagnostic approach to mental health research. Variance in interoception, the ability to perceive one's internal bodily state, is reported across diagnostic boundaries, and is associated with atypical functioning across symptom categories. Drawing on behavioural and neuroscientific evidence, we outline current research on the contribution of interoception to numerous cognitive and affective abilities (in both typical and clinical populations), and describe the interoceptive atypicalities seen in a range of psychiatric conditions. We discuss the role that interoception may play in the development and maintenance of psychopathology, as well as the ways in which interoception may differ across clinical presentations. A number of important areas for further research on the role of interoception in psychopathology are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Brewer
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Murphy
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom.
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
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12
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Al E, Iliopoulos F, Nikulin VV, Villringer A. Heartbeat and somatosensory perception. Neuroimage 2021; 238:118247. [PMID: 34111514 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Our perception of the external world is influenced by internal bodily signals. For example, we recently showed that timing of stimulation along the cardiac cycle and spontaneous fluctuations of heartbeat-evoked potential (HEP) amplitudes influence somatosensory perception and the associated neural processing (Al et al., 2020). While cardiac phase affected detection sensitivity and late components of the somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs), HEP amplitudes affected detection criterion and both early and late SEP components. In a new EEG study, we investigate whether these results are replicable in a modified paradigm, which includes two succeeding temporal intervals. In one of the intervals, subjects received a weak electrical finger stimulation and reported first whether they detected any stimulation and then allocated the stimulus to one of the two intervals. Our results confirm the previously reported cardiac cycle and prestimulus HEP effects on somatosensory perception and evoked potentials. In addition, we obtained two new findings. Source analyses in this and our original study show that the increased likelihood of conscious perception goes along with HEP fluctuations in parietal and posterior cingulate regions, known to play important roles in interoceptive processes. Furthermore, HEP amplitudes were shown to decrease when subjects engaged in the somatosensory task compared to a resting state condition. Our findings are consistent with the view that HEP amplitudes are a marker of interoceptive (versus exteroceptive) attention and provide a neural underpinning for this view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esra Al
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Fivos Iliopoulos
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vadim V Nikulin
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 101000 Moscow, Russia
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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13
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Salamone PC, Legaz A, Sedeño L, Moguilner S, Fraile-Vazquez M, Campo CG, Fittipaldi S, Yoris A, Miranda M, Birba A, Galiani A, Abrevaya S, Neely A, Caro MM, Alifano F, Villagra R, Anunziata F, Okada de Oliveira M, Pautassi RM, Slachevsky A, Serrano C, García AM, Ibañez A. Interoception Primes Emotional Processing: Multimodal Evidence from Neurodegeneration. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4276-4292. [PMID: 33827935 PMCID: PMC8143206 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2578-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent frameworks in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral neurology underscore interoceptive priors as core modulators of negative emotions. However, the field lacks experimental designs manipulating the priming of emotions via interoception and exploring their multimodal signatures in neurodegenerative models. Here, we designed a novel task that involves interoceptive and control-exteroceptive priming conditions followed by post-interoception and post-exteroception facial emotion recognition (FER). We recruited 114 participants, including healthy controls (HCs) as well as patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We measured online EEG modulations of the heart-evoked potential (HEP), and associations with both brain structural and resting-state functional connectivity patterns. Behaviorally, post-interoception negative FER was enhanced in HCs but selectively disrupted in bvFTD and PD, with AD presenting generalized disruptions across emotion types. Only bvFTD presented impaired interoceptive accuracy. Increased HEP modulations during post-interoception negative FER was observed in HCs and AD, but not in bvFTD or PD patients. Across all groups, post-interoception negative FER correlated with the volume of the insula and the ACC. Also, negative FER was associated with functional connectivity along the (a) salience network in the post-interoception condition, and along the (b) executive network in the post-exteroception condition. These patterns were selectively disrupted in bvFTD (a) and PD (b), respectively. Our approach underscores the multidimensional impact of interoception on emotion, while revealing a specific pathophysiological marker of bvFTD. These findings inform a promising theoretical and clinical agenda in the fields of nteroception, emotion, allostasis, and neurodegeneration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We examined whether and how emotions are primed by interoceptive states combining multimodal measures in healthy controls and neurodegenerative models. In controls, negative emotion recognition and ongoing HEP modulations were increased after interoception. These patterns were selectively disrupted in patients with atrophy across key interoceptive-emotional regions (e.g., the insula and the cingulate in frontotemporal dementia, frontostriatal networks in Parkinson's disease), whereas persons with Alzheimer's disease presented generalized emotional processing abnormalities with preserved interoceptive mechanisms. The integration of both domains was associated with the volume and connectivity (salience network) of canonical interoceptive-emotional hubs, critically involving the insula and the anterior cingulate. Our study reveals multimodal markers of interoceptive-emotional priming, laying the groundwork for new agendas in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral neurology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula C Salamone
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Agustina Legaz
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Moguilner
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Nuclear Medicine School Foundation, National Commission of Atomic Energy, Mendoza, Argentina
| | | | - Cecilia Gonzalez Campo
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sol Fittipaldi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Adrián Yoris
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Magdalena Miranda
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustina Birba
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agostina Galiani
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sofía Abrevaya
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandra Neely
- Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Miguel Martorell Caro
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Florencia Alifano
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Roque Villagra
- Memory and Neuropsychiatric Clinic, Neurology Department, Hospital del Salvador, SSMO & Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Florencia Anunziata
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra, INIMEC-CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Maira Okada de Oliveira
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Neurology, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP Brazil
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Santa Marcelina, Sao Paulo, SP Brazil
| | - Ricardo M Pautassi
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra, INIMEC-CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea Slachevsky
- Memory and Neuropsychiatric Clinic, Neurology Department, Hospital del Salvador, SSMO & Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Gerosciences Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Physiopathology Department, ICBM, Neurosciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Servicio de Neurología, Departamento de Medicina, Clínica Alemana-Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cecilia Serrano
- Neurología Cognitiva, Hospital Cesar Milstein, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adolfo M García
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Faculty of Education, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza, M5502JMA, Argentina
- Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Agustín Ibañez
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
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14
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Coll MP, Hobson H, Bird G, Murphy J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between the heartbeat-evoked potential and interoception. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 122:190-200. [PMID: 33450331 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The Heartbeat Evoked Potential (HEP) has been proposed as a neurophysiological marker of interoceptive processing. Despite its use to validate interoceptive measures and to assess interoceptive functioning in clinical groups, the empirical evidence for a relationship between HEP amplitude and interoceptive processing, including measures of such processing, is scattered across several studies with varied designs. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the body of HEP-interoception research, and consider the associations the HEP shows with various direct and indirect measures of interoception, and how it is affected by manipulations of interoceptive processing. Specifically, we assessed the effect on HEP amplitude of manipulating attention to the heartbeat; manipulating participants' arousal; the association between the HEP and behavioural measures of cardiac interoception; and comparisons between healthy and clinical groups. Following database searches and screening, 45 studies were included in the systematic review and 42 in the meta-analyses. We noted variations in the ways individual studies have attempted to address key confounds, particularly the cardiac field artefact. Meta-analytic summaries indicated there were moderate to large effects of attention, arousal, and clinical status on the HEP, and a moderate association between HEP amplitude and behavioural measures of interoception. Problematically, the reliability of the meta-analytic effects documented here remain unknown, given the lack of standardised protocols for measuring the HEP. Thus, it is possible effects are driven by confounds such as cardiac factors or somatosensory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel-Pierre Coll
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 McGill College, Montreal, H3A1G1, Canada.
| | - Hannah Hobson
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2, UK.
| | - Jennifer Murphy
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK.
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15
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Paciorek A, Skora L. Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Gateway to Interoception. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1659. [PMID: 32849014 PMCID: PMC7403209 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The last two decades have seen a growing interest in the study of interoception. Interoception can be understood as a hierarchical phenomenon, referring to the body-to-brain communication of internal signals, their sensing, encoding, and representation in the brain, influence on other cognitive and affective processes, and their conscious perception. Interoceptive signals have been notoriously challenging to manipulate in experimental settings. Here, we propose that this can be achieved through electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve (either in an invasive or non-invasive fashion). The vagus nerve is the main pathway for conveying information about the internal condition of the body to the brain. Despite its intrinsic involvement in interoception, surprisingly little research in the field has used Vagus Nerve Stimulation to explicitly modulate bodily signals. Here, we review a range of cognitive, affective and clinical research using Vagus Nerve Stimulation, showing that it can be applied to the study of interoception at each level of its hierarchy. This could have considerable implications for our understanding of the interoceptive dimension of cognition and affect in both health and disease, and lead to development of new therapeutic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lina Skora
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.,School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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16
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Paulus MP, Feinstein JS, Khalsa SS. An Active Inference Approach to Interoceptive Psychopathology. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2020; 15:97-122. [PMID: 31067416 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Interoception refers to the process by which the nervous system senses and integrates signals originating from within the body, providing a momentary mapping of the body's internal landscape and its relationship to the outside world. Active inference is based on the premise that afferent sensory input to the brain is constantly shaped and modified by prior expectations. In this review we propose that interoceptive psychopathology results from two primary interoceptive dysfunctions: First, individuals have abnormally strong expectations of the situations that elicit bodily change (i.e., hyperprecise priors), and second, they have great difficulty adjusting these expectations when the environment changes (i.e., context rigidity). Here we discuss how these dysfunctions potentially manifest in mental illness and how interventions aimed at altering interoceptive processing can help the brain create a more realistic model of its internal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin P Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136, USA;
| | - Justin S Feinstein
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136, USA; .,Oxley College of Health Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119, USA
| | - Sahib S Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136, USA; .,Oxley College of Health Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119, USA
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17
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Arnold AJ, Winkielman P, Dobkins K. Interoception and Social Connection. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2589. [PMID: 31849741 PMCID: PMC6901918 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Interoception – the process of sensing bodily signals – has gained much interest in recent years, due to its role in physical and mental well-being. Here, we focus on the role of interoception in social connection, which is a relatively new and growing research area. Studies in this area suggest that interoception may help in appraising physiological signals in social situations, but also that (challenging) social situations may reduce interoceptive processing by shifting attention from internally- to externally- focused. We discuss potential mechanisms for the influence of interoception on social connection and highlight that flexibility in engaging interoception in social situations may be particularly important. We end with a discussion of loneliness – an extreme case of poor social connection, which is associated with physiological decline and increased mortality risk, and propose that interoceptive dysregulation is involved. We suggest that interventions aimed to improve interoceptive abilities, such as mindfulness-based meditation practices, may be key for alleviating loneliness and improving social connection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Arnold
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, United States
| | - Piotr Winkielman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States.,Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karen Dobkins
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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18
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Visceral Signals Shape Brain Dynamics and Cognition. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:488-509. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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19
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Marshall AC, Gentsch A, Blum AL, Broering C, Schütz-Bosbach S. I feel what I do: Relating interoceptive processes and reward-related behavior. Neuroimage 2019; 191:315-324. [PMID: 30776528 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Interoceptive signalling has been shown to contribute to action regulation and action experience. Here, we assess whether motor behaviour can be influenced by anticipated homeostatic feeling states induced through different predictable contexts. Participants performed a reward incentive paradigm in which accurate responses increased (gain) or avoided the depletion (averted loss) of a credit score. Across two types of blocks, we varied the predictability of the outcome state. In predictable blocks, a cue signaled a gain, loss or control trial (motor response did not affect the credit score). This allowed participants to anticipate the interoceptive feeling state associated with the outcome. In unpredictable blocks, the cue had no relation to the type of outcome. Thus, participants were unable to anticipate the feeling state it produced. Via EEG, we measured the Heartbeat Evoked Potential (HEP) and the Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) as indices of interoceptive and motor processing respectively. In addition, we measured feedback P3 amplitude following outcome presentation and accuracy and reaction times of the required motor response. We observed higher HEP and CNV amplitudes as well as faster and more accurate motor responses in predictable compared to unpredictable outcome blocks. Similarly, feedback-related P3 amplitudes were significantly lower for predictable relative to unpredictable outcomes. Crucially, HEP amplitudes measured prior to feedback predicted feedback-related P3 amplitudes for anticipated outcome events. Results suggest that accurate anticipation of homeostatic feeling states associated with gain, loss or control outcomes facilitates motor execution and outcome evaluation. Findings are hereby the first to empirically assess the link between interoceptive and motor domains and provide primary evidence for a joint processing structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Marshall
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, D-80802, Munich, Germany.
| | - Antje Gentsch
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, D-80802, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna-Lucia Blum
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, D-80802, Munich, Germany
| | - Christina Broering
- Department of Affective Neuroscience and Psychophysiology, Institute of Psychology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Simone Schütz-Bosbach
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, D-80802, Munich, Germany
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20
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Gentsch A, Sel A, Marshall AC, Schütz-Bosbach S. Affective interoceptive inference: Evidence from heart-beat evoked brain potentials. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:20-33. [PMID: 30159945 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of internal bodily signals (interoception) is central to many theories of emotion and embodied cognition. According to recent theoretical views, the sensory processing of visceral signals such as one's own heartbeat is determined by top-down predictions about the expected interoceptive state of the body (interoceptive inference). In this EEG study we examined neural responses to heartbeats following expected and unexpected emotional stimuli. We used a modified stimulus repetition task in which pairs of facial expressions were presented with repeating or alternating emotional content, and we manipulated the emotional valence and the likelihood of stimulus repetition. We found that affective predictions of external socially relevant information modulated the heartbeat-evoked potential, a marker of cardiac interoception. Crucially, the HEP changes highly relied on the expected emotional content of the facial expression. Thus, expected negative faces led to a decreased HEP amplitude, whereas such an effect was not observed after an expected neutral face. These results suggest that valence-specific affective predictions, and their uniquely associated predicted bodily sensory state, can reduce or amplify cardiac interoceptive responses. In addition, the affective repetition effects were dependent on repetition probability, highlighting the influence of top-down exteroceptive predictions on interoception. Our results are in line with recent models of interoception supporting the idea that predicted bodily states influence sensory processing of salient external information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Gentsch
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Alejandra Sel
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda C Marshall
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Simone Schütz-Bosbach
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
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