Scientists are unraveling how our organs talk to the brain and how the brain talks back. That two-way communication, known as interoception, encompasses a complex system of nerves and hormones, including the vagus nerve, a massive network of fibers that travel from nearly every internal organ to the base of the brain and back again. Scientist have long known the vagus nerve carries signals between the organs and the brainstem. But new studies show signals carried by the vagus climb beyond the brainstem and into brain regions involved in memory, emotion, and decision-making. The research is challenging traditional distinctions between disorders of the brain and body, and may even hold clues to the nature of consciousness.

科学家们正在解开我们的器官如何与大脑对话以及大脑如何回应。这种双向交流被称为内感受，包括一个复杂的神经和激素系统，包括迷走神经，这是一个巨大的纤维网络，几乎从每个内脏器官到达大脑底部，然后再返回。科学家早就知道迷走神经在器官和脑干之间传递信号。但新的研究表明，迷走神经携带的信号会越过脑干进入与记忆、情绪和决策有关的大脑区域。这项研究正在挑战大脑和身体疾病之间的传统区别，甚至可能为意识的本质提供线索。