SENSing Inner BodiLy state: understanding the role of interoception in obEsity - Finanziamento dell’Unione Europea – NextGenerationEU – missione 4, componente 2, investimento 1.1.

Obesity is a complex and multifaceted medical condition in which an excessive accumulation of body fat has a strong negative impact on health. It results from a composite interplay among biological, psychological, behavioural, and sociocultural factors. Recently, the forefront of theoretical discussion highlighted a possible hitherto underestimated role of sensing the internal physiological states of the body (i.e., interoception) in the development and maintenance of such a disease. Specifically, it has been proposed that a defect to process interoceptive information, and/or to merge it with exteroceptive signals, might be an essential signature of obesity. However, whether, how and to which extent the variety of internal bodily sensations affect the several behavioural, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of obesity are still key left open questions. The aim of the project SENSIBLE is twofold: a) Deeply investigating at both functional and neurocognitive levels the relationship between interoception and some of the key facets of obesity: food perception, implicit attitudes, impulsivity, and emotional eating, and b) defining a comprehensive model of the role of interoception in the multiple aspects and behavioural manifestations of obesity. Within this picture, Unit 1 (UniTN) will study the interactions between interoception and external food cues provided by vision and olfaction. Unit 2 (UniTO) will focus on the role of interoception in implicit attitudes towards body image and food. Unit 3 (IUSS) will investigate the neurofunctional basis of impulsivity and interoception by means of neuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches. Unit 4 (UniBO) will examine how interoceptive processes and emotional eating interact to regulate eating patterns. By thoroughly merging evidence coming from all the units, SENSIBLE aims at providing innovative reference for experimental clinical practice, paving the way to rehabilitation protocols tailored to individual ability of interoception and specific manifestations of uncontrolled eating.