Cited by 211Psychosomatic Disorders and Their TreatmentsHeart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlTactile and Sensory Interactions

Interoceptive awareness declines with age

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Khalsa, Sahib S., Rudrauf, David, Tranel, Daniel·2009·Psychophysiology

Abstract

Aging has been shown to increase sensory thresholds for a variety of exteroceptive and proprioceptive stimuli. However, the influence of aging on interoceptive awareness has received relatively little empirical attention. Here we report an inverse association between aging and interoception, as indexed by the ability to sense the heartbeat at rest. In a group of 59 participants ranging in age from 22 to 63 years, age inversely predicted heartbeat detection ability, both within and across several measurement sessions. On average, age accounted for 30% of the variance in heartbeat detection accuracy. Other attribute variables including body mass index and sex were not related to heartbeat detection ability. These findings provide clear empirical evidence that interoception, much like exteroception and proprioception, declines with age.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00859.x

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  • The ability to quickly and accurately detect bodily states decreases as we age.

    “The ability to quickly and accurately detect bodily states decreases as we age, and may result in a type of dissociation between top-down and bottom-up processing affecting both awareness of physiologic activation as well as the ability to effectively down-regulate responses.”

    From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Khalsa et al., 2009

    The Discussion reports that the ability to feel the resting heartbeat decreases with age, and the Accuracy measures section shows that the study assessed detection accuracy. It did not establish that people become slower at detecting bodily states, and its direct measurement was limited to heartbeat sensation rather than bodily states generally. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The overall bivariate correlation between age and accurate heart beat detection was r=−.49 and r=−.45 at two time points.

    “Using a heart beat detection paradigm with participants ranging in age from 22 to 63, older subjects showed poorer detection of their heart beats than younger and middle aged adults, and the overall bivariate correlation between age and accurate heart beat detection was r=−.49 and r=−.45 at two time points (Khalsa et al., 2009).”

    From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Khalsa et al., 2009

  • Proprioception and interoception both decline with old age.

    “Proprioception and interoception both decline with old age.”

    From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Khalsa et al., 2009

  • Older subjects showed poorer detection of their heart beats than younger and middle aged adults.

    “Using a heart beat detection paradigm with participants ranging in age from 22 to 63, older subjects showed poorer detection of their heart beats than younger and middle aged adults, and the overall bivariate correlation between age and accurate heart beat detection was r=−.49 and r=−.45 at two time points (Khalsa et al., 2009).”

    From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Khalsa et al., 2009

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Jones GE 1994 Perception of visceral sensations: a review of recent findings, methodologies, and future directions 5 London Jessica Kingsley Publishers
  2. Shaffer SW Harrison AL 2007 Aging of the somatosensory system: a translational perspective Phys Ther 87 2 193 207 17244695

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Authors
Khalsa, S. S., Rudrauf, D., & Tranel, D.
Affiliations
University of Iowa (US)
Corresponding author
Khalsa, Sahib S.
Venue
Psychophysiology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2009-10-12
Volume
46
Issue
6
Pages
1130-1136
ISSN
  • 0048-5772 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8986
OpenAlex
W2049078130
Cited by
211
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
FWCI
1.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychophysiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5p50ns019632-28)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA022549)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007337)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P01 NS19632, P01NS019632, P50-NS019632)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (F31AT003061)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
Keywords
interoception, interoceptive awareness, aging, heartbeat detection, heartbeat perception, sensory threshold, age-related decline, body mass index, sex differences
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Aging, Awareness, Electrocardiography, Female, Heart, Heart Rate, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychomotor Performance, Regression Analysis, Self Concept, Sensation, Sex Characteristics, Young Adult, Executive Function

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