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The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown orders adopted to prevent the spread of the disease had a huge impact on a personal, social, and economic level for the world population. In Europe, Italy was one of the frontrunner countries dealing with an emergency that significantly affected people’s lives. Previous research on the psychological impact of the pandemic revealed an increase in anxiety, depression, and feelings of distress; however, these studies were conducted on non-representative samples of the population reached through social media channels, a method that is likely to lead to many forms of statistical and methodological bias. For the first time to our knowledge, we assessed the psychological impact of COVID-19 on 6700 Italian individuals, representative of the Italian population in terms of age, gender, and geographical areas revealing higher scores of depressive symptoms in females, younger adults, people reporting professional uncertainty and lower socio-economic status. A positive correlation was also found for individuals living alone, those who could not leave home for going to work, and people with a case of COVID-19 in the family, whereas the region of residence was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. These findings underline the importance of considering the psychological effects of COVID-19 and providing support to individuals seeking mental health care.

OBJECTIVES: The self-reported perception of bodily sensations is assumed predictive for health and disease. Existing questionnaires mostly focus on aversive sensations, and associated emotions and cognitions, which potentially confounds associations between interoception and illness. Therefore, we developed the Three-domain Interoceptive Sensations Questionnaire (THISQ), assessing self-reported perception of neutral respiratory, cardiac, and gastroesophageal sensations. DESIGN: Using cross-sectional surveys, we developed and validated the THISQ. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In Sample 1 (n = 357), a pool of 28 Dutch items was subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Eighteen items with a primary factor loading >.40 were retained for confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2 (n = 374) and Sample 3 (n = 484) for the validation of the Dutch and English questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS: Analyses supported the 3-factor solution: cardiorespiratory activation, cardiorespiratory deactivation, and gastroesophageal sensations. Scales showed acceptable to good internal consistency. Convergent validity was confirmed by significant medium associations between THISQ scores and other self-report measures of interoception. Divergent validity was supported by non-significant or small associations with measures of negative affectivity and symptom-related anxiety. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the Dutch and English THISQs are valid and reliable self-report measures of interoception, which could advance our understanding of interoceptive processes in health and disease. UNLABELLED: Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.2009479 . ispartof: PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH ispartof: location:England status: Published online

Background: The gut microbiota is altered in obesity and is strongly influenced by nutrients and xenobiotics. We have tested the impact of native inulin as prebiotic present in vegetables and added as a supplement on gut microbiota-related outcomes in obese patients. Metformin treatment was analyzed as a potential modulator of the response. Methods: A randomized, single-blinded, multicentric, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 150 obese patients who received 16 g/d native inulin versus maltodextrin, coupled to dietary advice to consume inulin-rich versus -poor vegetables for 3 months, respectively, in addition to dietary caloric restriction. Anthropometry, diagnostic imaging (abdominal CT-scan, fibroscan), food-behavior questionnaires, serum biology and fecal microbiome (primary outcome; 16S rDNA sequencing) were analyzed before and after the intervention. Results: Both placebo and prebiotic interventions lowered energy intake, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and serum γ-GT. The prebiotic induced greater weight loss and additionally decreased diastolic blood pressure, AST and insulinemia. Metformin treatment compromised most of the gut microbiota changes and metabolic improvements linked to prebiotic intervention. The prebiotic modulated specific bacteria, associated with the improvement of anthropometry (i.e. a decrease in Desulfovibrio and Clostridium sensu stricto). A large increase in Bifidobacterium appears as a signature of inulin intake rather than a driver of prebiotic-linked biological outcomes. Conclusions: Inulin-enriched diet is able to promote weight loss in obese patients, the treatment efficiency being related to gut microbiota characteristics. This treatment is more efficacious in patients who did not receive metformin as anti-diabetic drugs prior the intervention, supporting that both drug treatment and microbiota might be taken into account in personalized nutrition interventions. Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no NCT03852069., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures adopted to prevent the spread of the disease had a huge impact on a personal, social, and economic level for the world population. In Europe, Italy was one of the frontrunner countries dealing with an emergency that significantly affected people’s lives. Previous research on the psychological impact of the pandemic revealed an increase in anxiety, depression, and feelings of distress; however, these studies were conducted on non-representative samples of the population reached through social media channels, a method that is likely to lead to many forms of statistical and methodological bias. For the first time to our knowledge, we measured depressive symptoms on 6,700 Italian individuals, representative of the Italian population in terms of age, gender, and geographical areas revealing higher scores of depressive symptoms in females, younger adults, people reporting professional uncertainty and lower socio-economic status. A positive correlation was also found for individuals living alone, those who could not leave home for going to work, and people with a case of COVID-19 in the family, whereas the region of residence was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. These findings underline the importance of considering the psychological effects of COVID-19 and providing support to individuals seeking mental health care.

Background and aims Metabolic and behavioural diseases, which are often related to obesity, have been associated to alterations of the gut microbiota considered as an interesting therapeutic target. We have analyzed in a cohort of obese patients treated with prebiotic inulin versus placebo the potential link between gut microbiota changes occurring upon intervention and their effect on psychological parameters (mood and cognition). Methods A randomized, single-blinded, multicentric, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 106 obese patients assigned to two groups: prebiotic versus placebo, who received respectively 16 g/d of native inulin or maltodextrin combined with dietary advice to consume inulin-rich or -poor vegetables for 3 months as well as to restrict caloric intake. Anthropometric measurements, food intake, psychological questionnaires, serum measures, and fecal microbiome sequencing were performed before and after the intervention. Results Inulin supplementation in obese subjects had moderate beneficial effect on emotional competence and cognitive flexibility. However, an exploratory analysis revealed that some patients exhibiting specific microbial signature -elevated Coprococcus levels at baseline- were more prone to benefit from prebiotic supplementation in terms of mood. Positive responders toward inulin intervention in term of mood also displayed worse metabolic and inflammatory profiles at baseline (increased levels of IL-8, insulin resistance and adiposity). Conclusion This study shows that inulin intake can be helpful to improve mood in obese subjects exhibiting a specific microbial profile. The present work highlights some microbial, metabolic and inflammatory features (IL-8, insulin resistance) which can predict or mediate the beneficial effects of inulin on behaviour in obesity. Food4gut, clinicaltrial.gov: NCT03852069, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03852069 .

Background Interoception is the ability to perceive one's inner bodily feelings and is thought to be associated with the capacity of recognising and experiencing emotions. Previous research on interoception and emotion regulation has presented limitations arising from the low reliability of the interoceptive measurement and provided inconsistent results. The current study used a mixed method approach to investigate this relationship from the individuals’ perspective. Methods In the first phase (quantitative), questionnaires assessing interoceptive sensibility, the subjective, self-reported ability to perceive internal states, were administered to 100 healthy participants. In the second phase (qualitative), individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants. The interviews were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three main dimensions were explored with open questions: 1) Perception of internal bodily states; 2) Emotion regulation; 3) Potential relationship between bodily states perception and emotion recognition and regulation. Results Findings revealed that people with low interoceptive abilities show more difficulties in verbalizing their feelings and in decreasing the impact of emotions generated by negative experiences in daily life Limitations The generalization of the results is limited by the specific age and gender of the recruited sample. Conclusions Responses of the participants supported recent evidence regarding the lack of reliability of the heartbeat counting task as a measure of interoceptive accuracy, however interviews sustained the importance of recognising the bodily states in order to be able to understand and regulate emotions.

Interoception, the capacity to perceive internal bodily states, is thought to influence cognitive, affective and interpersonal functioning. It is frequently assessed using the heartbeat counting task, introduced recently in interoceptive research. In this task participants are requested to count their heartbeats without relying on external cues. Interoceptive Accuracy (i.e., IAcc) scores are then computed based on absolute comparisons between actual and reported heartbeats. In a large sample of participants (N = 572), we observed that, whereas IAcc scores are meant to be theoretically agnostic to error type (i.e., over- or underestimation of heartbeats), these scores massively (i.e., > 95%) reflect under-reports. Of concern too, the correlation between actual and reported heartbeats is low overall (r = .16), varies non-linearly across IAcc score quantiles, and suggests undistinguishable interoceptive capacities within the top 60% IAcc scorers. We also found that IAcc scores, which are conceptually independent from actual heart rates, are structurally bound to them. Finally, we show that IAcc scores vary across the time intervals used in the task. We encourage researchers using this score for studying cognitive and emotional processes to reconsider its meaning.

Objectives:We describe the methodology of a trial designed to highlight the interest of vegetables rich in ITF-prebiotics in obese adults. DESIGN:150 obese subjects (BMI> 30 kg.m-2; 18–65 years) recruited in three different university hospitals in Belgium will be selected with at least one of the following criteria: (pre-)diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, liver steatosis. They will be randomly assigned to receive either 16 g/day of inulin (Fibruline, Cosucra) with dietary advice to promote the consumption of vegetables rich in ITF or 16 g/day placebo (maltodextrin, Cargill) with dietary advice provided nutrients to promote the consumption of vegetables poor in ITF for 3 months. Review of literature, analysis of ITF content in vegetables and satisfaction and digestive tolerance tests (on healthy volunteers) will be performed to propose adequate receipts. Results: The primary outcome is to evaluate the impact of a higher consumption of ITF-prebiotics on the gut microbiota composition. The secondary outcome of this trial was the effect of the prebiotic intervention on the BMI. Other secondary endpoints were anthropometric and clinical parameters. Conclusions:The goal of this intervention study is to establish the proof of concept that nutrients which selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the human colon might offer protection against metabolic disorders associated to obesity on an adequate target population.

Interoception and exteroception for body signals are two different ways of perceiving the self: the first from within, the second from outside. We investigated the relationship between Interoceptive Accuracy (IAcc) and external perception of the body and we tested if seeing the body from an external perspective can affect IAcc. Fifty-two healthy female subjects performed a standard heartbeat perception task to assess the IAcc, before and after the Body Image Revealer (BIR), which is a body perception task designed to assess the different aspects of body-image. The performance of the lower IAcc group in the heartbeat perception task significantly improved after the exteroceptive task. These findings highlight the relations between interoceptive and exteroceptive body-representations, supporting the view that these two kinds of awareness are linked and interact with each other.

Studies conducted in rodents have highlighted that neurobiological processes underlying cognition and affect are modulated by the gut microbiota. Certain dietary fibers are able to modulate the composition of gut microbiota and are thus considered prebiotics. A review of the impact of the available prebiotic intervention studies in humans on cognition and affect, addressing the potential mediating role of the microbiota, was conducted. PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO were selected as sources. Fourteen articles were eligible for narrative synthesis. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed with characteristics established a priori. Some chronic prebiotic interventions (>28 d) improved affect and verbal episodic memory compared with a placebo. Acute prebiotic interventions (

In four studies (total N = 534), we examined the moderating impact of Interoceptive Accuracy (i.e. IAcc, as measured with the heartbeat counting task) and Interoceptive Sensibility (IS, assessed via questionnaire) on negative affect, following social exclusion or after receiving negative feedback. Results from an integrative data analysis combining the four studies confirmed that the manipulations were successful at inducing negative affect. However, no significant interaction between mood induction (control versus negative affect induction) and interoception on mood measures was observed, and this was true both for objective (i.e. IAcc) and subjective (i.e. IS) measures of interoception. Hence, previous conclusions on the moderating impact of interoception in the relationship between mood induction and self-reported mood were neither replicated nor generalised to this larger sample. We discuss these findings in light of theories of emotion regulation as well as recent concerns raised about the validity of the heartbeat counting task.

Background: Inulin-Type fructans (ITFs) are a type of fermentable dietary fiber that can confer beneficial health effects through changes in the gut microbiota. However, their effect on gut sensitivity and nutritional behavior is a matter of debate. Objective: We evaluated the impact of consuming ITF-rich vegetables daily on gut microbiota, gastro-intestinal symptoms, and foodrelated behavior in healthy individuals. Methods: A single group-design trial was conducted in 26 healthy individuals. During 2 wk, the participants were instructed to adhere to a controlled diet based on ITF-rich vegetables (providing a mean intake of 15 g ITF/d). Three test days were organized: before and after the nutritional intervention and 3 wk after returning to their usual diet. We assessed nutrient intake, food-related behavior, fecal microbiota composition, microbial fermentation, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Results: The major microbial modifications during the intervention were an increased proportion of the Bifidobacterium genus, a decreased level of unclassified Clostridiales, and a tendency to decrease Oxalobacteraceae. These changes were reversed 3 wk after the intervention. The volunteers showed greater satiety, a reduced desire to eat sweet, salty, and fatty food, and a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables. Only flatulence episodes were reported during the dietary intervention, whereas intestinal discomfort, inversely associated with Clostridium cluster IV and Ruminococcus callidus, was improved at the end of the intervention. Conclusions: A higher consumption of ITF-rich vegetables allows a substantial increase in well-Tolerated dietary fiber, which may in turn improve food-related behavior. Moreover, it leads to beneficial modifications of the gut microbiota composition and function. This trial is registered at clinicaltrial.gov as NCT03540550., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Our perceptual systems integrate multisensory information about objects that are close to our bodies, which allow us to respond quickly and appropriately to potential threats, as well as act upon and manipulate useful tools. Intriguingly, the representation of this area close to our body, known as the multisensory 'peripersonal space' (PPS), can expand or contract during social interactions. However, it is not yet known how different social interactions can alter the representation of PPS. In particular, shared sensory experiences, such as those elicited by bodily illusions such as the enfacement illusion, can induce feelings of ownership over the other's body which has also been shown to increase the remapping of the other's sensory experiences onto our own bodies. The current study investigated whether such shared sensory experiences between two people induced by the enfacement illusion could alter the way PPS was represented, and whether this alteration could be best described as an expansion of one's own PPS towards the other or a remapping of the other's PPS onto one's own. An audio-tactile integration task allowed us to measure the extent of the PPS before and after a shared sensory experience with a confederate. Our results showed a clear increase in audio-tactile integration in the space close to the confederate's body after the shared experience. Importantly, this increase did not extend across the space between participant and confederate, as would be expected if the participant's PPS had expanded. Thus, the pattern of results is more consistent with a partial remapping of the confederate's PPS onto the participant's own PPS. These results have important consequences for our understanding of interpersonal space during different kinds of social interactions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interoception is the ability to feel one's internal bodily sensations and it is related to emotional experience and the processing of emotional stimuli. Alexithymia is defined by difficulties in identifying and describing one's emotions and externally oriented thinking. Additionally, it is linked to impairments in emotional awareness and the regulation of emotions. It is largely assumed that alexithymia relates negatively both to subjective and objective interoception. However, evidence is scarce for the latter relation. The relationship between Interoceptive Accuracy (IAcc, as measured with the heartbeat tracking task), Interoceptive Sensibility (IS, self-report measure of interoception assessed via questionnaires), and alexithymia (i.e., TAS-20) was examined across ten studies (total N = 998). Results showed a weak negative correlation between alexithymia and IS but no correlation between alexithymia and IAcc.

Introduction et but de l’etude Les fructanes de type inuline sont des fibres alimentaires qui conferent des effets benefiques a l’hote, notamment via la modification du microbiote intestinal. Les vegetaux sont la source majoritaire de fructanes et les etudes d’intervention ayant ete menees jusqu’a ce jour se sont focalisees sur les fructanes issus de la racine de chicoree. Dans le cadre du projet Food4Gut, finance par un programme d’excellence de la region Wallonne, nous etudions l’impact des legumes naturellement riches en fructanes sur la sante intestinale ainsi que sur le comportement alimentaire. Materiel et methodes Vingt-six sujets sains ont recu pendant deux semaines un regime a base de legumes riches en inuline (apport d’environ 15 g/j en fructanes). Trois journees tests ont ete organisees : une avant l’intervention, une apres l’intervention et 3 semaines apres retour a leur regime habituel. Les analyses suivantes ont ete realisees : composition du microbiote intestinal, symptomes gastro-intestinaux, fermentation microbienne, comportement alimentaire. Resultats et analyse statistique Le microbiote intestinal est modifie de maniere selective pendant l’intervention (augmentation du genre Bifidobacterium, diminution des Oxalobacteriacea et de certaines Clostridiales, valeurs de p Conclusion La consommation de legumes riches en fructanes s’inscrit dans une approche nutritionnelle saine et permet d’augmenter l’apport en fibres dans la population generale. Cette approche alimentaire est d’ailleurs actuellement evaluee chez des patients obeses, en vue de mettre en evidence le lien entre les changements du microbiote et une potentielle amelioration de l’etat metabolique des patients.