{"title":"Interoception: Synthesizing Insights and Charting New Frontiers.","authors":"Alan N Simmons, Marc Wittmann, Irian A Strigo","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_587","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This chapter is dedicated to the intellectual legacy of A.D. Bud Craig and advancing the understanding of interoception. The chapter is organized into three critical domains of interoceptive research: Bodily Self, Emotion, and Subjective Time. Beginning with foundational neuroanatomical research on temperature and pain processing, the volume progresses to explore how interoceptive signals integrate to form our bodily self-representation and emotional experiences. This leads to discussion of the interoceptive self and its foundation role in emotional experience. Finally, this culminates in how interoception shapes our perception of time, including experiences in altered states of consciousness. This exploration into interoception points to promising future research focused on computational modeling of interoceptive processing, personalized treatment approaches based on interoceptive principles, and clinical applications for psychiatric, neurological, and pain conditions. In this chapter, we aim to outline the goals of this collection and the remaining gaps in the continuance of Bud Craig's seminal career.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144697835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Javier Fernández-Ruiz, Onintza Sagredo, María Gómez-Ruiz, Eva de Lago
{"title":"Ageing, Neurodegeneration and the Endocannabinoid System.","authors":"Javier Fernández-Ruiz, Onintza Sagredo, María Gómez-Ruiz, Eva de Lago","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_597","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_597","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Numerous studies carried out in the last 30-40 years have strongly demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system exerts important modulatory functions in the central nervous system (CNS). These neuromodulatory functions encompass the whole life of animals, with specific activities during neurodevelopment (prenatal, postnatal and adolescent periods), adulthood and possibly senescence too. However, this is the life stage less investigated in relation with the endocannabinoid system to date. In the aged brain, the activity of this system appears to be altered, which contributes to subtle impairments that typically occur during ageing in learning and memory, motor behaviour, social behaviour and other neurobiological functions. Some of the changes in endocannabinoid activity may represent a process to attenuate ageing-related impairment in the brain function, which is consistent with its role as a pro-homeostatic system. An important observation is that these alterations become extreme when normal brain ageing acquires pathological characteristics, as happens in chronic neurodegenerative disorders. This includes the cannabinoid type-1 (CB<sub>1</sub>) receptor downregulation or impairment in its signalling and the increase in endocannabinoid-inactivating enzymes, both hypothesised to contribute to pathogenic events. By contrast, elevated levels of endocannabinoids due to a reduced Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacyl glycerol lipase (MAGL) expression and the upregulation of cannabinoid type-2 (CB<sub>2</sub>) receptors may in turn serve as endogenous pro-homeostatic adaptations against brain impairment. This review synthesises information on: (i) subtle alterations in the endocannabinoid system in the senescent brain in the absence of pathology, with the purpose of demonstrating that these alterations are representative of the extreme changes experienced by this system in the brain pathological ageing; and (ii) the development of neuroprotective therapies based on the pharmacological management of specific endocannabinoid targets to combat neurodegenerative pathologies. Together, research in this area comes at a critical time as global lifespan is increasing, incidence of age-related neurodegenerative disorders is expanding, and the unmet need for efficacious neuroprotective treatments is a public health necessity.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144706703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Behavioral Neurobiology of Alcohol Addiction: A Decade of Great Challenges, New Hopes, and Hypes.","authors":"Wolfgang H Sommer, Rainer Spanagel","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_586","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_586","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over a decade after the first edition of \"Behavioral Neurobiology of Alcohol Addiction,\" this chapter revisits the field at a critical juncture, marked by both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities. We reflect on the translational gap that has stalled the development of new treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD), despite decades of promising preclinical findings. Particular attention is given to the replicability crisis in animal research, publication biases, and the limited predictive validity of existing models. At the same time, we highlight advances that offer renewed hope, including molecular and circuit-level technologies, AI-driven data analysis, real-world assessments, and new pharmacological candidates, such as GLP-1 agonists and psychedelics. These breakthroughs are considered alongside the increasing recognition of inflammation, pain, and neuroimmune factors as integral to AUD. However, we caution against exaggerated claims and urge the field to avoid oversimplified models, especially those that conflate habits and compulsions. Finally, we argue that neurobiological progress must be complemented by public health strategies aimed at reducing stigma and improving access to care. By fostering empirical rigor, embracing complexity, and maintaining critical self-reflection, addiction science can better align its innovations with real-world clinical and societal needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144616764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How Layer-Specific fMRI Can Contribute to Understanding Perceptual Disturbances Across Psychiatric Disorders.","authors":"Joost Haarsma, Peter Kok","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_595","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Perceptual disturbances occur across various sensory domains and contribute to significant suffering in numerous psychiatric and neurological conditions. Despite decades of research into the neural mechanisms underlying these distressing experiences, progress has been relatively limited. Here we explore the potential of layer-specific fMRI to enhance our understanding of these phenomena. We posit that perceptual disturbances can stem from alterations in the neural integration of internally generated signals-such as memory, imagination, prediction, and expectations-with sensory evidence being used to optimize inferences about the world. Emerging evidence suggests that these key computations are distributed across different cortical layers, highlighting the utility of layer-specific imaging in identifying the mechanisms driving such disruptions. We review recent findings that underscore the promise of layer-specific fMRI in elucidating these neural processes and discuss how pharmacological layer-specific fMRI could further advance this understanding. Finally, we address the current limitations of layer-specific fMRI and the progress made toward overcoming these challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144616765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synopsis of Current Trends in Behavioral Neuroscience Volume __.","authors":"Murray B Stein","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_594","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_594","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Following is a synopsis of the reviews contained within this volume. Each of these reviews is written by experts in their field, and each provides an authoritative treatise on its subject matter. The topics cover the gamut of anxiety-relevant research, from basic mechanistic and animal models through to clinical studies. The authors do a splendid job of introducing key concepts and terms relevant to their fields of study, thereby opening vistas of information for interested readers. The authors-and clearly some credit must also go to the editors-have made great efforts not only to review what has been done, but to imagine where the field(s) will go and how those may, eventually if not immediately, impact the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders. I hope you enjoy reading and learning from this cadre of experts as much as I did.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144265607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Behavioral and Brain Mechanisms of Active Avoidance and Their Relevance to Anxiety Disorders.","authors":"Hannah McManus, Mohammed R Milad","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_593","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_593","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Avoidance behaviors are paramount for the survival of all species. While adaptive in response to genuine danger, avoidance can become maladaptive when generalized or persistent in the absence of threat. In anxiety disorders, maladaptive avoidance behaviors frequently arise and impede everyday life for individuals with these mental health conditions. Given the central role of avoidance in anxiety disorders, understanding the neural circuits that underly these behaviors is essential for developing both targeted and effective treatments. This review explores avoidance through both a behavioral and neural mechanistic lens, while also examining the current behavioral and pharmacological treatments aimed at addressing avoidance. Understanding of the neural underpinnings of avoidance, psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy may improve clinical care and outcomes for those suffering with anxiety disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144265606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Isle of Craig: Neuroanatomical and Functional Evidence for a Role of the Insular Cortex in Subjective Feelings.","authors":"Henry C Evrard","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_590","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>At the start of the twenty-first century, Arthur D. (Bud) Craig brought back to the fore the Island of Reil (insular cortex or insula). He did so by following, step by step, with rigor and tenacity, the afferent sensory pathway that informs the forebrain about the ongoing physiological status of the organs and tissues of the body. Along with his demonstration of the existence of a primate-specific ascending interoceptive pathway and his subsequent re-interpretation of Sherrington's concept of interoception, Bud Craig's seminal experiments and profound interpretations led him to make the groundbreaking proposals that the dorsal posterior insular cortex provides an ideal substrate for James's concept of emotional embodiment, that the insular cortex contextualizes interoception across a posterior-to-mid-to-anterior integration with multimodal activities, and that the anterior insular cortex has a crucial role in the evolutionary emergence of the awareness of subjective feelings in humans, for the purpose of optimizing metabolic energy usage. Bud Craig's unique work paves the path for further elucidation of the role of the insula and other brain regions in subjective feelings. His discoveries and proposals rest on implacable attention to neuroanatomical and neurophysiological details and a serendipitous quest for the fundamental evolutionary Logic of Life. This chapter provides a detailed description of the ascending interoceptive pathway and the functional and comparative neuroanatomy of the insular cortex in primates. Building on Bud Craig's work, our recent findings suggest that the primary interoceptive cortex serves as a representation of the spino-solitary-parabrachial neuraxis, merging with posterior-to-mid-anterior and dorsal-to-ventral processing streams that form a latticework integration pattern. At the ventral anterior tip of this integration, the von Economo neuron area closes the corticofugal interoceptive-autonomic loop of the sensory-motor homeostatic system through projections to all brainstem nuclei integrating interoceptive afferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144149777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Insights into Overlapping Brain Networks for Anxiety and Alcohol Use Disorders.","authors":"Nicole L Zabik, Jennifer Urbano Blackford","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_592","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2025_592","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating condition affecting over 30 million Americans. AUD commonly co-occurs with other disorders, like other substance use disorders, trauma-related disorders, and anxiety disorders. Of the numerous co-occurring disorders, anxiety disorders are the most pervasive: anxiety disorders serve as a risk factor for developing AUD, emerge as co-occurring disorders that maintain alcohol drinking, and impede the effectiveness of treatments for AUD. Anxiety, therefore, shapes the development, course, and treatment of AUDs. AUDs can also increase anxiety, suggesting a complex, bidirectional relation between alcohol use and anxiety. The intersection of AUDs and anxiety is also supported by their overlapping neural circuits, specifically neural circuits involved in stress responding, reward processing, and cognitive control. The current review highlights findings from several decades of research on how anxiety impacts the brain and treatment outcomes in AUDs. We also provide important considerations for future research, with the goal of reducing the shame and burden of alcohol use for individuals with AUD and their families.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prenatal Antidepressant Exposure and the Developing Brain: A Review of Neuroimaging Findings.","authors":"Kayleigh S J Campbell, Tim F Oberlander","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antenatal mood disturbances are experienced by as many as 20% of pregnant mothers and are commonly treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressants. Both maternal depression and SRIs during pregnancy are associated with low birth weight and infant neurobehavioral disturbances, as well as longer-term impacts on child neurodevelopment, behavior, and mental health. As maternal depression and its pharmacotherapy are inherently interrelated prenatal exposures, distinguishing how these early life factors uniquely impact child development remains methodologically challenging. Over the past several years, however, advanced neuroimaging has been successfully used to identify neural correlates of prenatal depression and SRI antidepressant exposure on the developing brain, extending from the early newborn period through adolescence. In this review, we examine the use of magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to study child brain structure or function, with a specific focus on prenatal antidepressants as the primary exposure in relation to either typical development or exposure to maternal depressed mood alone. We include both cross-sectional and longitudinal neuroimaging studies, as well as those that link early brain findings with cognitive or behavioral outcome in childhood. We also discuss factors that may shape neurodevelopmental risk (e.g., maternal mental illness severity, sex differences, genetic variability) and present suggestions for future research that will advance our understanding of child brain development in the context of maternal mood disturbances during pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Intersection of Interoception and Anticipation Related to Pain.","authors":"Irina A Strigo, Alan N Simmons","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_588","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_588","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This chapter focuses on the interconnectedness of bodily awareness, emotion, and time perception, focusing on the roles of interoception and anticipation, pioneered by A.D. (Bud) Craig and advanced by contemporary research. Pain, a pivotal aspect of human experience, serves as a conduit for understanding our relationship with the world. Anticipation of pain, vital for survival, influences subjective pain experiences and is modulated by factors such as physiological reactivity and contextual cues. Emotional states significantly shape pain perception, with chronic pain conditions and affective disorders characterized by dysregulated pain modulation mechanisms. We discuss a state space model for pain, wherein pain functions as a latent construct shaped by both anticipatory and contemporaneous factors. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for informing clinical interventions aimed at pain management and highlights the intersection of interoception, emotion, and pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}