Interoceptive inference: From computational neuroscience to clinic.


Author: Owens AP1, Allen M2, Ondobaka S3, Friston KJ4

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Lab of Action & Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK; Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK; Autonomic Unit, National Hospital Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCL NHS Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: andrew.owens@rhul.ac.uk.

<sup>2</sup>Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK.

<sup>3</sup>Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK; Sobell Department for Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London, UK.

<sup>4</sup>Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, UK.
Conference/Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev.
Date published: 2018 Jul
Other:
 Volume ID: 90   ,  Pages: 174-183   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.017. Epub  2018 Apr 22.   ,  Word Count: 189  
    The central and autonomic nervous systems can be defined by their anatomical, functional and neurochemical characteristics, but neither functions in isolation. For example, fundamental components of autonomically mediated homeostatic processes are afferent interoceptive signals reporting the internal state of the body and efferent signals acting on interoceptive feedback assimilated by the brain. Recent predictive coding (interoceptive inference) models formulate interoception in terms of embodied predictive processes that support emotion and selfhood. We propose interoception may serve as a way to investigate holistic nervous system function and dysfunction in disorders of brain, body and behaviour. We appeal to predictive coding and (active) interoceptive inference, to describe the homeostatic functions of the central and autonomic nervous systems. We do so by (i) reviewing the active inference formulation of interoceptive and autonomic function, (ii) survey clinical applications of this formulation and (iii) describe how it offers an integrative approach to human physiology; particularly, interactions between the central and peripheral nervous systems in health and disease.



Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.



KEYWORDS: Active inference; Autonomic nervous system; Free-energy principle; Homeostasis; Interoception; Interoceptive inference; Predictive coding



PMID: 29694845  DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.017