title: The pathways of interoceptive awareness.
abstract: A network of cortical brain regions, including the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), has been proposed as the critical and sole substrate for interoceptive awareness. Combining lesion and pharmacological approaches in humans, we found that the insula and ACC were not critical for awareness of heartbeat sensations. Instead, this awareness was mediated by both somatosensory afferents from the skin and a network that included the insula and ACC. Together, these pathways enable the core human experience of the cardiovascular state of the body.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. skhalsa@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Sahib S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Khalsa
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rudrauf
authors.forename: Justin S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Feinstein
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tranel
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017833:Visceral Afferents / Q000502:physiology*