Predicting the consequences of physical activity: An investigation into the relationship between anxiety sensitivity, interoceptive accuracy and action

Abstract

The ability to predict the consequences of our actions is imperative for the everyday success of our interactions. From negotiating an uneven surface, to mounting an immune response, we continually infer the limits of our body. The current investigation considered the impact that the inferred consequences of action has on the placement of limits. We hypothesised that the performance of individuals in a novel, sprint task would reflect both their ability to accurately detect changes in bodily arousal (Interoceptive Accuracy) and the inferred consequences associated with heightened arousal signals (Anxiety Sensitivity). We found that individuals who demonstrated accuracy associated with physiological arousal changes, and who showed a heightened fear of the consequences of arousal symptoms, modified their actions by decreasing their power output (mean Watts•kg-1) in a sprint task (ΔR2 = 0.19; F(1,34) = 19.87); p<0.001). These findings provide a basis for understanding the varying actions taken as we encounter bodily perturbation.

Fig 1. Schematic representation of altered ‘safety-buffer’ and potential action in different individuals.

a) An individual with high accuracy related to their internal or body-specific environment, but also with high fear associated with arousal related signals. Placed in a novel environment (green), e.g., a sprint exercise task, they are required to infer the state of their body (orange) in relation to their environment and predict the consequences of potential action within the task. In this case, potential action is reduced (blue) to minimise the change in bodily arousal, a consequence of action that is associated with fear. b) An elite athlete, placed in a familiar environment (green) e.g., a sprint exercise task. As part of their training they are familiar with the changes in bodily arousal (orange) that occur as part of a sprint task and have refined predictions about the consequences of their potential actions (blue). In this case, the athlete is able to push bodily limits, reducing the ‘safety-buffer’ and enhancing the action output. c) An individual with a sprained ankle is placed in a known environment (green). As a consequence of their injury, their bodily state (orange) is altered, and even familiar environments become challenging. They must predict the consequences of their actions, e.g., weight-bearing through the ankle, and infer the appropriate potential actions (blue). In acute injury, these potential actions are reduced to promote recovery.

Fig 2. Moderation analysis: Interoceptive accuracy, anxiety sensitivity and mean power output.

*Denotes significant interaction.

Fig 3. The relationship between interoceptive accuracy and mean power output across all participants, separated by sex.