title: My heart is in my hands: the interoceptive nature of the spontaneous sensations felt on the hands.
abstract: Somatic sensations may arise in the total absence of external stimuli, i.e., spontaneous sensations (SPSs). Because the background of body sensations has been mentioned as a possible contributor to interoceptive functions, such as the perception of the self and the conscious awareness of one's own body, a possible link between SPSs and interoception has been advocated. Yet, no study has provided direct evidence on such a relationship. The aim of the present study was to establish a link between SPSs and interoception. On the basis of the literature, the accuracy of heartbeat perception was taken as an index of general interoception across different bodily modalities. It was found that individuals with good heartbeat perception experienced more numerous and more intense SPSs. Furthermore, taken along with other individual characteristics, heartbeat perception accuracy predicted the perceived intensity of SPSs, their spatial extent, their variety, as well as confidence in their spatial characteristics. However, we also provide evidence that good vs. poor heartbeat perception is not just a matter of degree. We conclude that interoception definitely contributes to the perception of SPSs.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 2, Laboratoire EMC (EA 3082), Lyon, France; Université Lyon 2, Institut de Psychologie, Lyon, France. Electronic address: George.Michael@univ-lyon2.fr.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; UVHC, LAMIH-PERCOTEC, Valenciennes, France; CNRS, UMR 8530, Valenciennes, France.
authors.forename: Janick
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Naveteur
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; UVHC, LAMIH-PERCOTEC, Valenciennes, France; CNRS, UMR 8530, Valenciennes, France; Université d'Artois, Liévin, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Agnès
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dupuy
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurosciences Intégratives et Cliniques (EA 481), Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jacquot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D065812:Interoception; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body awareness; Consciousness; Hand; Heartbeat perception; Interoception; Spontaneous sensations