Interoception

Interoception

Roti at the Animal Help Foundation PC: Eva Marie Veroeveren

What sparked my interest in neuroscience so many years ago were questions I'd have while working at the Animal Help Foundation - an animal shelter in Ahmedabad. I would observe the dogs, monkeys, raptors, and kittens, and would wonder how they "know" when they are hungry, thirsty, anxious, or in pain. I realized the same questions applied to people. Why is it that most times, we are not aware of our heart rate or our breathing, but in a few key instances, we feel our heart race and our breathing speed up? It turns out these mechanisms can be explained by a phenomenon called "interoception!" 

We may have heard of a related sense called "proprioception", or the ability to know where we are in space. Naturally, proprioception is key for movement of all kinds, and for dance. But more work is needed to understand interoception. In another post, I will talk more about how Bharatanatyam might help us better understand interoception!

---