Interoception, homeostatic emotions and sympathovagal balance.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and theoretical neuroanatomical framework incorporating mechanistic animal and human imaging data
PubMed 28080968 · doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0010
What was done
The authors reviewed neuroanatomical evidence for human interoception and outlined a theoretical model where bodily feelings processed in the insular cortex are paired with homeostatic motivations in the cingulate cortex. They integrated physiological data on cardiorespiratory vagal activity in monkeys and functional magnetic resonance imaging data in healthy humans performing paced breathing and passive viewing of emotional images to propose an asymmetric forebrain model of emotional and sympathovagal regulation.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values or statistical effect sizes. Qualitatively, the authors describe a hierarchical sensorimotor architecture supporting homeostatic emotions, wherein the bicameral forebrain organizes positive/negative valence, approach/avoidance behaviors, and parasympathetic/sympathetic balance into asymmetric hemispheric components modulated by respiratory and affective stimuli.
Why it matters
The paper presents a neuroanatomical framework linking visceral physiological sensing to subjective emotional experience and autonomic control, conceptualizing bodily feelings as core drivers of adaptive behavior.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample sizes, demographic details, or quantitative outcomes for the cited monkey physiology or human neuroimaging experiments. As predominantly a conceptual review and theoretical framework, its structural models rely largely on correlational imaging and mechanistic reasoning rather than direct causal evidence.
Cited by
- supports The insular cortex receives sensory and interoceptive input from internal organs throughout the body, including the heart, liver, and kidneys.