Under the term Visceroception all sensory body systems that perceive the state and activity of the internal organs, such as the digestive system and cardiovascular system, are combined. The various sensors report their perceptions mostly via afferent pathways of the vegetative nervous system to the brain, which then processes the messages. Most messages run unconsciously, so that the brain independently initiates further control of the internal organs after processing.
What is visceroception?
The visceroception, too Enteroception called, under which the various sensory observations and reports of the state and activity of the internal organs to the brain are summarized, is part of interoception. Interoception includes all messages from the body about internal states, including messages from proprioception and the sense of balance about radial and linear accelerations.
There are various sensors, each specialized in a task, that register certain pressure conditions, oxygen saturation, degree of hydration, degree of stomach filling and much more and report them to certain ganglia or brain centers via afferent pathways of the autonomic nervous system.
The use of the vegetative nervous system indicates that most reports are made unconsciously, i.e. unnoticed by us. The control of the internal organs based on the visceroceptive messages is also largely unconscious, but is also subject to a more or less strong influence by the sympathetic and parasympathetic system, which has a very strong influence on the metabolism and thus on the behavior of the internal organs in the direction of tension and physical Maximum performance (sympathetic) or in the direction of relaxation and growth (parasympathetic).
The processing of visceroceptive messages in the central nervous system (CNS) largely corresponds to the genetically predetermined interconnection in the brain, but in some cases also experiences acquired in the course of life to which the body's metabolism can adapt.
Function & task
As already stated above, visceroception is largely autonomous, i.e. unconscious. This relieves people enormously because they do not have to consciously concern themselves with how hard and fast the heart should beat, how high the blood pressure should be, how many digestive enzymes should be formed in the stomach and pancreas, how each of the thawing muscles should move and how much more should be controlled. You can see that visceroception not only relieves stress, but also enables coordinated bodily functions in the first place, as humans would be completely overwhelmed if the multitude of processes had to be consciously controlled.
However, there are also situations with which the autonomic nervous system is overwhelmed. These are, for example, immediate dangers that require conscious decisions about whether to avoid an impending danger by fleeing or whether we are trying to eliminate the cause of the danger, e.g. B. by attack. Injuries also require individual decisions about further behavior. In these cases, nociceptors (pain sensors) ensure that the pain also reaches the level of consciousness.
In many other cases, too, visceroceptive sensors or the autonomic nervous system have the ability to place certain states on the level of consciousness. It is not only about creating feelings of fear or feelings of discomfort, but can even lead to fainting. The powerlessness serves to protect the body immediately in the event of severe injuries that have already occurred or are threatened. The peripheral blood vessels constrict and the circulation is reduced to an absolute minimum, so that in the event of injuries as little blood loss occurs and the consciousness is largely spared any traumatic experiences.
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In view of the multitude of mechano-, chemo-, baro-, thermo- and osmoceptors as well as many other different sensors that forward their "measurements" to the CNS, there may be disturbances in the sensor system, the transmission or the procession of the signals . Faults or failures of individual sensors due to injuries or local effects of chemical substances are conceivable. Failures or false reports of individual sensors usually have no effect, since with the large number of sensors involved, the report of a single receptor hardly plays a role in the procession of the overall reports.
In cases in which a whole group of sensors is impaired by a disease of the corresponding organ, the CNS can definitely misinterpret the situation, which can trigger corresponding malfunctions in the organ concerned. If, for example, the functioning of the visceroceptors in the digestive tract is impaired by a disease of the stomach or intestines, this can lead to significant digestive problems due to a malfunction of the organs.
Similar problems and complaints can arise when the transmission is disturbed. Various neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune diseases, strokes or inflammation of the nerves that lead to impairment of the conduction of action potentials trigger similar symptoms, including life-threatening conditions. Without correct reports from visceroception, the CNS cannot control the organs in accordance with reality, so that serious health problems can arise due to the incorrect control.
Another problem can arise at the interface of unconscious or conscious perception. As stated above, most sensory messages are not perceived consciously, but only in special situations that require conscious individual intervention. The decision whether to raise awareness of a certain condition varies greatly from person to person and is controlled both by genetically determined neural connections and by experience. If the threshold that triggers awareness of states is too low, this can trigger anxiety states and other neuroses that are detrimental to health.
But also the opposite, too little awareness of organ states can be harmful to health, since early warning signs of an impending illness, such as heart attack and the like, are not noticed.
