Interoceptive Dysfunction Publisher



Dehghani R^{1, 2} ; Delavari F³
Source: Biophysics and Neurophysiology of the Sixth Sense Published:2019

Abstract

Information from all over our body is gathered in our insular part of the brain to make an internal body picture known as interoception. Using these data and processing them, our brain makes predictions and sends back signals throughout the body. Any dysfunction along this way can result in an interoceptive-related disorder, for example, mood disturbance, autism, addiction, chronic pain, delusional body border disorders, and eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Signal misinterpretation such as prediction error (the difference between what our brain predicted to happen based on previous data and what actually happened), alliesthesia (the regulation of response to a stimulus according to body status), and aversive conditioning are important pathophysiologies suggested. Other concrete theories are inflammatory processes in the insular area, lesions, brain underconnectivity, and dysfunction of networks which include insula. These theories are mostly supported by neuroimaging data, gray matter volume, and specific experiments such as rubber hand illusion. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.