Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between the heartbeat-evoked potential and interoception

The Heartbeat Evoked Potential (HEP) has been proposed as a neurophysiological marker of interoceptive processing. Despite its use to validate measures and assess functioning in clinical groups, the empirical evidence for relationship between HEP amplitude processing, including such is scattered across several studies with varied designs. aim this systematic review meta-analysis was examine body HEP-interoception research, consider associations shows various direct indirect interoception, how it affected by manipulations Specifically, we assessed effect on manipulating attention heartbeat; participants’ arousal; association behavioural cardiac interoception; comparisons healthy groups. Following database searches screening, 45 were included 42 meta-analyses. We noted variations ways individual have attempted address key confounds, particularly field artefact. Meta-analytic summaries indicated there moderate large effects attention, arousal, status HEP, interoception. Problematically, reliability meta-analytic documented here remain unknown, given lack standardised protocols measuring HEP. Thus, possible are driven confounds factors or somatosensory effects.