Interoception refers to afferent sensory information, which maintains homeostatic function, arising from the sensation, perception, and awareness of afferent feedback from the viscera. Recently, extensions to the free energy principle have reported that predictive coding/active inference of interoception contributes to the regulation of affect, decision-making, and mental health. In particular, the autonomic nervous system is substantially involved in interoception. Previous studies have revealed that the neural underpinnings of interoception include the vagus nerve, insular cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Although the correlation between interoception and affect, decision-making, and mental health has been revealed in previous studies, the aspects that the autonomic nervous system influence these processes and their consequences throughout the developmental lifespan are still unknown.
Therefore, these aspects of interoception and the autonomic nervous system that influence the range of effects on the human mind require further investigation. The aim of this Frontiers Research Topic is to broaden the horizon of knowledge about interoception and the autonomic nervous system and expand the network of researchers involved in this research.
We aim to bring together (1) novel original research articles examining interoception and the autonomic nervous system, featuring behavioral and neuroimaging data, and (2) studies documenting how experiences manifest in life-span development of interoception and the autonomic nervous system or in various clinical disorders (e.g. somatic symptom disorder, depression, anxiety, or autism spectrum disorder). We also welcome (3) negative findings and failed direct or conceptual replication studies that are beyond the pilot stage, even if replication was not the primary goal, as we believe that sharing these studies will also have a positive impact on experimental planning and increase the rate of knowledge acquisition on interoception. Finally, we welcome (4) meta-analyses or reviews that conform with the aim of the topic. Submitted articles can be of any format that is typically published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.
Interoception refers to afferent sensory information, which maintains homeostatic function, arising from the sensation, perception, and awareness of afferent feedback from the viscera. Recently, extensions to the free energy principle have reported that predictive coding/active inference of interoception contributes to the regulation of affect, decision-making, and mental health. In particular, the autonomic nervous system is substantially involved in interoception. Previous studies have revealed that the neural underpinnings of interoception include the vagus nerve, insular cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Although the correlation between interoception and affect, decision-making, and mental health has been revealed in previous studies, the aspects that the autonomic nervous system influence these processes and their consequences throughout the developmental lifespan are still unknown.
Therefore, these aspects of interoception and the autonomic nervous system that influence the range of effects on the human mind require further investigation. The aim of this Frontiers Research Topic is to broaden the horizon of knowledge about interoception and the autonomic nervous system and expand the network of researchers involved in this research.
We aim to bring together (1) novel original research articles examining interoception and the autonomic nervous system, featuring behavioral and neuroimaging data, and (2) studies documenting how experiences manifest in life-span development of interoception and the autonomic nervous system or in various clinical disorders (e.g. somatic symptom disorder, depression, anxiety, or autism spectrum disorder). We also welcome (3) negative findings and failed direct or conceptual replication studies that are beyond the pilot stage, even if replication was not the primary goal, as we believe that sharing these studies will also have a positive impact on experimental planning and increase the rate of knowledge acquisition on interoception. Finally, we welcome (4) meta-analyses or reviews that conform with the aim of the topic. Submitted articles can be of any format that is typically published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.