Interoception is associated with heartbeat-evoked brain potentials (HEPs) in adolescents

Heartbeat-evoked brain potentials (HEPs) are an index of the cortical reflection of cardiac interoceptive signals. Studies which have examined interoception in adolescents with the use of HEPs are not known to the authors so far. This study investigated the function of the HEP as a marker of interoception in adolescents. EEG and ECG were recorded in 46 adolescents during a resting condition and during a heartbeat detection task. Participants were asked for confidence in their interoceptive accuracy during heartbeat perception. HEPs appeared during both conditions, showing maximal activity over frontocentral electrodes in the heartbeat condition, and highest activity over occipital locations in the resting condition. Interoceptive accuracy (IAc) was positively associated with the HEP at frontocentral locations only for the heartbeat condition. Interoceptive sensibility was not associated with the HEP. No significant association between IAc and interoceptive sensibility was revealed. Our results highlight the relevance of the HEP as a neural marker of interoception in adolescents. Its use as an indicator of vulnerability for affective, physical and mental dysfunctions during adolescence should be exploited in future studies.