View clinical trials related to Interoception.
Filter by:The proposed study utilizes a randomized experimental therapeutics design to test a mechanistic framework linking interoceptive processing and disturbed body image, with the purpose of informing the development of future therapies for body image dissatisfaction in anorexia nervosa (AN). A sample of 102 participants will be recruited from the Laureate Eating Disorder Program (LEDP). After being randomized, participants will all receive a one-hour session of acceptance- and mindfulness-based training with a therapist (the introduction session). They will then receive either the interoceptively focused treatment (IFT) or exteroceptively focused treatment (EFT) condition based on randomization. In the IFT condition participants will engage in floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) while practicing acceptance and mindfulness-based principles. The EFT condition is an exteroceptive intervention in which participants will be asked to view pre-recorded videos of acceptance and mindfulness-based skills to aid in the practice of these skills. Each condition will consist of one introduction session and three experimental sessions. All participants will then return for follow-up measures. Assessed outcomes will include acute changes in body image disturbance (BID) and interoception. Further, longitudinal intervention effects on self-reported eating disorder symptoms, body image dissatisfaction, and interoception; behavioral measures of interoception and body image dissatisfaction; and resting state and interoceptive functioning during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be explored.
Background: Interoception is defined as the "sense of the physiological condition of the entire body" and is crucial for recognizing emotions and sensations (e.g., hunger, temperature, pain) and responding accordingly. The investigator's lab has conducted several independent studies and two pilot studies that support the hypothesis that disrupted interoception leads one to be disconnected from the body, and thus more able to harm the body should one desire to do so. Research suggests that interoceptive deficits may not only differentiate those who are thinking about suicide from those who engage in suicidal behavior, but it may also provide information about who is at imminent risk for suicidal behavior. The identification of novel, short-term risk factors, like interoceptive deficits, allows for the development of new treatment applications for suicide, which is important for several reasons: 1) suicide rates have increased in recent years, especially among military populations, and 2) existing treatment approaches are often ineffective, lengthy, expensive, or impractical for large-scale dissemination. This project evaluates a novel, brief intervention for interoceptive deficits and suicidal behavior with the potential to be acceptable and feasible for a military population.
This study is designed to investigate oxytocin's effects on interoception and whether these effects vary as a function of different emotional valence.