Evaluation of interoceptive accuracy in diabetic individuals with or without polyneuropathy

Abstract

Aim: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a heterogeneous disease with a complex pathophysiology that can affect both autonomic and somatic components of the nervous system. Interoception is a perceptual and cognitive concept expressing the internal sensory perception that evaluates signals from the body and internal organs. Interoceptive abilities have been indicated to be reduced in various chronic pain syndromes and chronic neuropathies. That said, interoceptive skills in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with and without a previous DPN comorbidity have not been comparatively examined. We aimed to examine whether there is a difference in terms of interoceptive accuracy in individuals diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with and without DPN for the first time. Methods: 20 individuals with a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with a co-diagnosis of DPN and 20 individuals with a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus without a co-diagnosis of DPN were recruited in the Electroneurophysiology Laboratory of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. The presence of DPN was evaluated with both Toronto Clinical Scoring System and electromyographic examination. General cognitive status was evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, general psychiatric status with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and cardiac interoceptive accuracy with the Heartbeat Counting Test. Results: No difference was found in terms of cardiac interoceptive accuracy in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with and without DPN. Conclusions: The potential decrease in cardiac interoception might be related to chronic pain or autonomic neuropathy rather than the presence of DPN. Studies examining interoception in these subgroups are required.