The influence of affective touch on interoceptive and exteroceptive sensory integration in infants: evidence from heartbeat-evoked and event-related potentials

These findings suggest the role of multisensory experiences, particularly those involving touch, in enhancing interoceptive-exteroceptive integration, with individual variations. Our findings support the hypothesis that affective caregiver-infant interactions facilitate interoceptive-exteroceptive integration, a fundamental process underlying the development of social cognition, and emotional regulation.