The threat of an embodied virtual belly affects gastric feelings depending on somatic, interoceptive and alexithymic characteristics of healthy women

Gastric feelings are often studied using invasive stimulations changing the stomach state and overlooking how context and personality traits shape these sensations. Therefore, we developed a virtual reality protocol to modulate gastric feelings through embodiment and anxiety manipulations. Twenty-eight healthy women experienced stimulation of a virtual abdomen synchronized or not with tactile stimulation on their own abdomen. Different levels of threat were induced by approaching a syringe or spoon toward the virtual belly. Results showed that embodiment and threat increased the intensity and unpleasantness of gastric feelings and enhanced their visceral nature. Exploratory analyses revealed that higher somatic sensitivity, interoceptive concern, and alexithymia were associated with more intense, unpleasant, and visceral gastric feelings. This proof-of-concept study proposes a non-invasive immersive protocol for investigating gastric feelings in women across clinical and healthy populations at a larger scale.