Sensing Self: Consider the Lung as a Sensory Organ

Interoception is the “sixth sense” that defines our innate ability to sense,interprets, integrates and regulates our internal state. Interoception is carried out through evolutionarily conserved intimate link between the internal organs and the nervous system. Given its large surface area and constant exposure to aerosol signals, the lung is an outstanding setting to study interoception. In the past few years, entering from the pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, a rare but impactful sensory cell type in the lung, we have studied lung function as a sensory organ in health and disease. We will present and discuss our recent findings in this topic of lung interoception.