Interoception in Autism: A Narrative Review of Behavioral and Neurobiological Data

Fernanda Loureiro; Sofronia M Ringold; Lisa Aziz-Zadeh

doi:10.2147/PRBM.S410605

Interoception in Autism: A Narrative Review of Behavioral and Neurobiological Data

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2024 May 3:17:1841-1853. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S410605. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Fernanda Loureiro¹, Sofronia M Ringold^{1

2}, Lisa Aziz-Zadeh^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

While exteroceptive sensory processing is a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder, how interoceptive processing may impact and contribute to symptomatology remains unclear. In this comprehensive narrative review on interoception in autism, we discuss: 1) difficulties with assessing interoception; 2) potential interoceptive differences; 3) interactions between neural systems for interoception, attention, sensorimotor processing, and cognition; and 4) potential differences in neural circuits involved in interoception. In general, there are mixed findings on potential interoception differences in autism. Nevertheless, some data indicate differences in integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive information may contribute to autism symptomatology. Neurologically, interoceptive processing in autism may be impacted by potential differences in the development, morphometry, and connectivity of key interoceptive hubs (vagal processing, brainstem, thalamus, insula), though much work is needed on this topic.

Keywords: autism; brainstem; insula; interoception; thalamus; thermosensation.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This publication was supported by the Department of Defense through the Idea Development Award under award number AR170062. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.