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Gut-to-brain interoceptive pathways in emotion-related behaviors

delete2026-06-24
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OA
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T
TO Tomofumi Otsuki
T
TI Takako Ichiki *
M
MT Miho Terunuma
DOI:10.3389/fnsys.2026.1855213delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Emotion-related states encompass a wide range of affective and behavioral dimensions; including anxiety; fear; pleasure; and aversion; whereas motivation refers to internal drives that energize goal-directed behaviors such as feeding; reward seeking; or avoidance. These states are thought to arise from the brain’s integration of exteroceptive inputs; interoceptive signals reflecting bodily states; and prior experiences. Recent studies have increasingly highlighted the critical role of gut-to-brain communication; particularly vagal and other interoceptive pathways; in shaping emotion-related and motivational behaviors. In parallel; advances in genetic manipulation techniques have enabled the identification of neuronal circuits innervating the gastrointestinal tract and have provided new insights into their links with affective-like behavior. A better understanding of these mechanisms will be essential for elucidating how gastrointestinal-derived signals contribute to emotion-related states and how they are represented and processed in the brain. In this review; we discuss recent advances in gut-to-brain neural pathways; with a particular focus on vagal afferent and interoceptive mechanisms; while also considering spinal afferent pathways and ENS-related mechanisms that may contribute to emotion-related behavioral regulation.
Keywords:
emotion
gut-brain axis
enteric nervous system
interoception
spinal afferents
vagal afferents
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Journal

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience cover
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
IF:
3.5
Papers:
1.0K
Citations:
6.2K

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