Interoception is poorly understood compared to the other senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste, and our mechanistic understanding of how the brain receives and reacts to signals from inside the body, is just beginning to be explored. Most of our peripheral organs and tissues are innervated by nerves that connect them with the central nervous system, and increasing evidence demonstrates critical central neuronal control of peripheral organ function. Conversely,  there is increasing awareness and interest in how signals from tissues such as the heart, lung, intestine, pancreas, and spleen impact neuronal activity in the brain. Such fundamental crosstalk involving interoception is at play in both normal physiology and disease pathogenesis.

This inaugural Keystone Symposium on Interoception will address major questions in the field, including:

1. the delineation of full circuits from peripheral tissues to the brain and back;
2. the molecular identity of neurons at specific nodes in these pathways;
3. critical signals between neurons and tissues;
4. alterations in interoceptive processing in the context of disease, including both peripheral and central nervous system abnormalities;
5. therapeutic opportunities using neuromodulation of interoception circuits (e.g. vagus nerve stimulation) to treat chronic diseases.

Interoception studies provide the missing link between research initiatives centered on the brain and the peripheral modulation of internal organs. This Interoception Keystone Symposium will serve as a nucleation point in this fast-growing field, bringing together neurobiologists, immunologists, physiologists, stem cell biologists, systems biologists, pharmacologists, bioengineers, and theorists, to integrate their perspectives and derive cross-disciplinary insights in understanding this sixth sense and its implications in health and disease.  The event will serve as a platform to inspire and nurture a diverse cohort of young investigators who will shape the future of the field.