The pathways of interoceptive awareness

Abstract

Studying a patient with selective damage to the insular and anterior cingulate cortex, the current study finds that these regions are not necessary for interoceptive awareness of one's own heartbeat, but the primary somatosensory cortex is required for such self-awareness. 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.