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Interaction between cognition, emotion, and the autonomic nervous system

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posted on 2023-06-08, 20:04 authored by Hugo CritchleyHugo Critchley, Jessica EcclesJessica Eccles, Sarah Garfinkel
The mind and body are intrinsically and dynamically coupled. Perceptions, thoughts and feelings change, and respond to, the state of the body. This chapter describes the integration of cognitive and affective processes with the autonomic control of bodily arousal, focusing on reciprocal effects of autonomic responses on decision making, error detection, memory and emotions. Neuroimaging techniques are beginning to detail the neuronal substrates mediating these interactions between mental and physiological states, implicating cortical regions (specifically insular and cingulate cortices) alongside subcortical (amygdala) and brainstem (notably dorsal pons) in these mechanisms. The extent to which bodily states influence mental processes is determined in part by “interoceptive sensitivity,” an index of individual differences in the ability to detect one’s own bodily sensations. Moreover, the misidentification or misattribution of interoceptive responses is implicated in a number of pathologies such as depersonalization, schizophrenia, and anxiety. Increasing knowledge of the mechanisms of body–mind interactions has wide ranging implications, from decision making to empathy, and may serve elucidate potential avenues of intervention for stress-sensitive conditions in which psychological, cognitive, and emotional factors impact on the expression of physical symptoms.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

117

Page range

59-77

Book title

Autonomic Nervous System

ISBN

9780444534910

Series

Handbook of Clinical Neurology

Department affiliated with

  • Clinical and Experimental Medicine Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Editors

Ruud Buijs, Dick Swaab

Legacy Posted Date

2015-03-09

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-03-22

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