Signal processing in the vagus nerve: Hypotheses based on new genetic and anatomical evidence

Shaffer, Clare; Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Quigley, Karen S.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108626

Cited by 12 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 313 publications

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“…A compelling and empirically supported theory is that depression, and many depressive symptoms, are primarily characterized by an underlying issue of inefficient energy regulation (Allen et al, 2018;Barrett et al, 2016;Chan et al, 2019;Shaffer et al, 2022). Critically, efficient energy regulation is supported by interoception (Quigley et al, 2021;Sennesh et al, 2022;Shaffer et al, 2023), the process by which the brain perceives, integrates, and models sensory information generated from within the body (Craig, 2003;Khalsa et al, 2018;Sherrington, 1952). Such theories thus suggest altered interoception as a critical mechanism involved in depression (Barrett et al, 2016;Khalsa et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Impact of Maternal Early Life Adversity on Interoceptive Sensibility in Pregnancy: Implications for Prenatal Depression

Savoca,

Glynn,

Fox

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Pregnancy is a sensitive period of development in adult life characterized by massive changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive function. Such changes may be adaptive, e.g., facilitating adjustment to physical demands, and they may also reflect or contribute to risks inherent to this stage of life, e.g., prenatal depression. One cognitive ability that may undergo change during pregnancy and contribute to mental wellness is interoception - the ability to perceive, integrate, and model sensory information originating from the body. Strong interoceptive abilities are associated with lower rates of depression in non-pregnant adult populations, and interoception is generally weaker in individuals at higher risk for depression – e.g., due to exposure to early life adversity (ELA). In the present study, we investigated whether interoception in pregnant women differed based on histories of ELA, in ways that increased their relative risk for prenatal depression symptoms. The pregnant individuals were in the second trimester of their-first pregnancy and were compared to a group of nulliparous, non-parenting women. Previous exposure to ELA significantly moderated pregnancy-related differences in self-reported interoception (interoceptive sensibility). A further moderated-mediation analysis revealed that the extent to which interoceptive sensibility buffered against depressive symptoms, was conditional on ELA exposure, suggesting more ELA is associated with reduced interoceptive sensibility during pregnancy, which increased prenatal depression risk. Together this work suggests that levels of interoception during pregnancy are sensitive to previous adversity exposure. It also suggests that interoceptive-focused interventions for preventing/treating prenatal depressive symptoms in high-risk women may be worth exploring.

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