Operationalizing the Mind-Body Connection: Interoception via the Autonomic Nervous System.

ABSTRACT: Traditional interoception research investigates cardioception, respiroception, or gastroception as a proxy for the sense of the body as a whole. These single-organ tasks sacrifice construct and ecological validity for a content validity that has been elusive. We propose that interoception is better captured by one's sense of their own autonomic nervous system, or ANSception. The ANS integrates multimodal signals via lesser-myelinated neurons, making it an integral part of the interoceptive nervous system. Thirty-four participants moved a slider to reflect their perceived sympathetic activation (ANSception) while their physiology was monitored. Most participants reported integrating information from two or more organ systems during ANSception. The relationship between ANSception and

SUBMITTER: Nackley B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12922123 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature