The brain-body connection was on full display at the April Keystone Symposia on interoception at the Allen Institute in Seattle. The research at this meeting marked a departure from traditional medicine, which tends to partition the body into different sections for in-depth study. By exploring the neural circuits that connect the gut, bladder, lungs, and heart to the brain, and vice versa, the meeting painted a more holistic molecular picture of health and disease. Keystone Symposia’s upcoming meeting on neural-immune interactions will be similar in this way featuring sessions on Neural Circuit Control of Immunity, and Immune System Control of Behavior and Neuroimmune Regulation of Peripheral Organ Homeostasis. (See more below)
As a rapidly evolving field, the advances presented were fascinating and far-reaching. Some of the trending topics included responses to stress and fear, asthma and allergy, hunger and satiety, and pain.
Interoception & Emotion
During the session on interoception and emotion, for example, researchers explored the origins of fear, which is often associated with symptoms including elevated pulse, dilated pupils, and heightened awareness. Dr. Meryl Malezieux, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in München, Germany, demonstrated how cardiac interoception gates emotion by mapping the relationship between heart rate and neuronal firing in the insular cortex, down to the beat. This precise analysis sheds light on questions like: Does the heart begin to race in response to a threat? Or, is something flagged as threatening because the heart has begun to race?
After her talk, Dr. Olujimi Ajijola, a cardiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, described how chronic heart injury can increase sympathetic nervous system sensitivity and alter activity in brain regions that drive emotion.
The heart is the metaphorical seat of emotion in society, but their research shows that it also acts as a physical regulator of “feelings.”
In the last presentation of the session Dr. Sahib Khalsa shared findings on interoceptive dysregulation in people with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Study participants swallowed a small vibrating capsule, which revealed that they were less sensitive to gut stimuli than individuals without anorexia. Further, brain activity recordings displayed abnormal response patterns to the sensation over time, suggesting that interoceptive learning was also impaired. These findings can help researchers understand the pathophysiology of the disease and guide treatment for a complicated disorder that impacts physical and mental health.
These and many other exciting new findings are now available for On Demand viewing for those who were unable to attend the meeting in person. You can purchase On Demand Access here.
Unpublished Research from Nobel Laureate Dr. David Julius
Nobel Laureate Dr. David Julius was one of several field leaders who debuted unpublished research, which attendees can access through the on-demand streaming platform online. In his Keynote address, he spoke about his recent work on enterochromaffin cells in gut epithelium, which produce serotonin and communicate sensory information to the brain.
In a recent study, Dr. Julius and colleagues showed that enterochromaffin cells perform different duties depending on where they are positioned in the epithelium. In his talk, Julius elaborated, explaining that these cells are part of a circuit that can increase gut sensitivity, which, over time, can lead to chronic pain. Hypersensitivity is a hallmark of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, and according to Dr. Julius, approximately 15% of the population experiences abdominal pain. The incidence of abdominal pain is three to six times higher in women, which is at least in part driven by estrogen. Dr. Julius showed that the enterochromaffin cell circuit is more active in female mice, increasing baseline sensitivity and perhaps contributing to the sex differences observed in people.
The team is still working on connecting all the dots, but the work substantiates the idea that “at the molecular level, this is a gut-brain axis that is quite active,” said Dr. Julius.
Watch the Conference On Demand
Interdisciplinary Insights
Although many of the presentations focused on different systems or diseases, the overlap between methods and cell types sparked interesting interdisciplinary dialogue between the researchers present from a wide range of disciplines.
The sold-out meeting drew a robust contingent of neuroscientists as well as cardiologists, psychiatrists, immunologists, clinicians, computational researchers, and more.
Interoception "turns the whole organism into neuroscience," noted one attendee, creating vast opportunities for cross-disciplinary research.
“This is a watershed moment for interoception research, because of the sheer breadth of people in this room,” said Sahib Khalsa, a psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in interoception. Indeed, this breadth is also reflected in the organizing team, consisting of Xin Sun a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of California, San Diego, Mark Andermann, who studies interoception at Harvard Medical School and Rui Costa, CEO and president of the Allen Institute. The team seized the opportunity to involve seasoned researchers and newcomers in their meeting, in an effort to shape the future of this growing field.
Dr. Xin Sun was particularly impressed by the trainee scientists. Early career researchers showcased their work through posters, which lined the Allen Institute hallways on three different floors both days, drawing crowds of curious viewers. In addition, they highlighted their work in two Symposia spotlight sessions, which featured 5-minute lightning talks from students and post-docs.
The first spotlight session focused on emerging technologies and model systems, featuring experiments in human cells, mice, zebrafish, drosophila, and a freshwater polyp called Hydra vulgaris. The second was all about the future of interoception, and many of the talks explored clinical and translational applications of interoception research.
___________
Future of the Field
Dr. Walter Koroshetz, who leads the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, joined for a virtual presentation towards the end of the meeting. He discussed the state of government programs and the need for this field.
“The brain doesn’t exist in a dish,” said Dr. Koroshetz. This work is uncovering the “how” in “how are you doing,” and is thus applicable to all scientific disciplines and individuals.
Similarly, scientists cannot operate in isolation. Dr. Andermann noted that he was impressed by the collegiality at the meeting, despite the major challenges many US researchers now face– or maybe because of those challenges. People were fully engaged and enthusiastic to work together towards scientific advancement, in the lab and in the broader context of society.
In an effort to further drive the field forward after the conclusion of the meeting, the organizing team, in their closing remarks, polled the crowd to compile lists of non-governmental funding sources, programs for interoception research, including the SPARC and BRAIN initiatives at the NIH, and future meetings dedicated to or involving interoception.
Keystone Symposia's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Terry Sheppard, was also in attendance, and was equally impressed with the science and community. “This conference was a highlight of our conference season, featuring the fascinating connections between the brain and peripheral organs and providing insight into the mechanisms of how we sense our internal states. In bringing together researchers across many disciplines, the conference captured the fast pace of discovery in this emerging field, which created a palpable energy among attendees, who are keen to advance future research and collaboration," he said. "We are grateful to the organizers and the Allen Institute for working with us on this meeting. Having this inaugural conference at a global hub for research in the area was central to the meeting’s success.”
All in all, the conference exemplified the Keystone Symposia spirit, drawing scientists across fields and generations to inspire each other in new directions to advance science and medicine.
Watch the Conference On Demand
Upcoming Related Meetings:
Neural-Immune Interactions: A Systems-Wide Perspective on Whole Organism Physiology
Also Available for Livestream Viewing!
Featuring Sessions on:
- Neural Circuit Control of Immunity
- Immune System Control of Behavior
- Neuroimmune Regulation of Peripheral Organ Homeostasis... & more!
Meet the Author
Gillian Dohrn
Gillian Dohrn is a science writer and recent graduate from the University of Santa Cruz, where she earned her master’s in science communication. She studied molecular biology as an undergraduate and enjoys covering emerging topics in health and life sciences.
Explore her recent work at: clippings.me/gilliandohrn and contact her via LinkedIn or Twitter.
Conference News
JCI's Dr. Elyse Dankoski Interviews Nobel Laureate Gregg Semenza at the Hypoxia Meeting
In light of the recent awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to field founders Dr....
