Interoceptive profiles of eating and weight disorders

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Rowan

Interoceptive processing links internal body signals to conscious recognition and evaluation, and disruptions have been reported in eating and weight disorders, yet stepwise comparisons are needed to guide targeted interventions. This study recorded ECG and EEG in adult women with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, obesity, and healthy controls during resting state and a heartbeat-counting task. Peripheral measures showed reduced vagally mediated heart-rate variability in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity, while central heartbeat-evoked potentials increased only in anorexia nervosa. Conscious performance differences were limited, but anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa showed marked negative evaluation. Results suggest fasting may reduce negatively perceived bodily sensations, and that alterations are disorder-specific rather than general.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Interoception as a Multi-Faceted construct

Physiological indicators of interoception

Peripheral organ activity

[www. nature.com/scientificreports](www. nature.com/scientificreports) OPEN Interoceptive profiles of eating and weight disorders Annika P. C. Lutz1􀀍, Ann-KathrinArend2,3, Ulrich Voderholzer4,5,6, Claus Vögele1 & Jens Blechert2,3 Signals from the body’s interior undergo several interoceptive processing steps, from the periphery to the central nervous system, to conscious recognition and evaluation. Alterations in some of these steps have been reported for eating and weight disorders, but systematic comparisons between steps and disorders are necessary to develop targeted interventions. We recorded electrocardiogram and electroencephalogram from adult women with anorexia nervosa (AN; n = 38), bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 35), binge eating disorder (n = 22), obesity (OB; n = 20), and healthy control individuals (n = 46) during resting state and a heartbeat counting task. On the peripheral level, patients with AN, BN, and OB had reduced vagally-mediated heart-rate variability. On the central level, only patients with AN showed increased processing of heartbeats (heartbeat-evoked potentials). On the conscious level, there were no significant group differences in heartbeat-counting performance, beliefs, or insight, but a marked negative evaluation reported by patients with AN and BN. We conclude that fasting could serve to reduce negatively perceived (AN, BN) and increased (AN) bodily sensations. Overeating is not associated with marked alterations in cardiac interoception. The results do not support the notion of general interoceptive deficits, but rather disorder-specific interoceptive profiles. Keywords Eating disorders, Obesity, Interoception, Heartbeat-evoked potentials, Interoceptive accuracy, Heart-rate variability As early as the 1960’s, it was proposed that alterations in the perception of signals from the body’s interior might be a common factor underlying eating and weight disorders (EWDs)1. These range from strict fasting in restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN), to alternating bingeing and purging in bulimia nervosa (BN), to recurrent binge eating in binge eating disorder (BED)2, as well as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above in obesity (OB)3. Recent research was able to identify a range of interoceptive alterations (see e.g.4 for a review), suggesting that each EWD might be associated with a unique interoceptive profile. To establish these profiles, it is necessary to investigate a range of interoceptive facets across the spectrum ofEWDs. Interoception as a Multi-Faceted construct Interoception is a multi-faceted construct, which refers to the processing of information arising from within the body5. Different bodily systems can be distinguished, e.g., the cardio-vascular, gastro-intestinal, or respiratory systems. Altered processing of gastrointestinal information may directly contribute to disordered eating behaviours. Poor perception of gastric fulness has been linked to binge eating, for example6. Patients with BNand BED indicate more difficulties perceiving satiety, while patients with AN report more difficulties perceiving hunger7. Despite these differences in gastric interoception, all three groups indicated equal difficulties in the perception of emotions7. Emotional dysregulation is a common characteristic of EWDs8 and may be related to altered processing of cardiovascular information9. Both overeating in BN and restrictive eating in AN have been linked to negative emotions and dysfunctional emotion regulation10. Fasting in AN may serve to suppress negative emotional states and body sensations11. Because of this aetiological relevance and the wide range of available measures, cardiac interoception may be an ideal starting point for the establishment of interoceptive profiles in EWDs. In addition, cardiac interoception could serve as an indicator for common underlying interoceptive factors across bodily systems, especially across the cardiac and gastric modalities12. There are several interventions t

FAQs

How were interoceptive processes assessed in this study?

Electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were collected during resting state and a heartbeat counting task.

What peripheral interoceptive differences were found across disorders?

Patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity showed reduced vagally mediated heart-rate variability at the peripheral level.

Do the results support a general interoceptive deficit across eating and weight disorders?

No. The findings do not support general interoceptive deficits; instead, they indicate disorder-specific interoceptive profiles.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Rowan