Interoceptive attentiveness and autonomic reactivity in pain observation

Abstract

Aim: This study explores interoceptive attentiveness (IA) influence on autonomic reactivity related to pain and self-regulation during situations evoking physiological mirroring for pain.

Methods: 20 participants observed face/hand, painful/non-painful stimuli in an individual versus social condition while the autonomic response was measured [Electrodermal activity, Pulse Volume Amplitude (PVA), and Heart Rate (HR)] was measured. The sample was divided into experimental (EXP) subjects, required to focus on their interoceptive correlates while observing the stimuli, and the control (CNT) group. HR inter-beat interval (IBI), and HR Variability (HRV) were calculated.

Results: Results showed high accuracy to painful and non-painful stimuli recognition. Regarding autonomic indices, higher PVA values were detected for hand painful versus non-painful stimuli, whereas for the EXP group a significant activation of IBI was found for face painful vs non-painful stimuli.

Conclusion: In the context of observation of pain in others, PVA and IBI could be respectively markers of mirroring mechanisms and autonomic self-regulation mediated by IA.

Keywords:

• Interoceptive attentiveness
• pain observation
• face
• autonomic reactivity
• PVA
• IBI

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data accessibility

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.