{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/27156"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/27156","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"An investigation of propranolol as an agent for the experimental manipulation of interoception.","abstract":"Interoception has recently come under research focus as a potential influence on emotional and epistemic feelings. However, existing means to manipulate it experimentally have conceptual or logistical drawbacks. We investigated whether 20 mg of propranolol is a viable agent for experimentally manipulating interoception. Thirteen participants completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, performing two heartbeat perception tasks, control tasks and measures of anxiety and alertness. All measures were obtained at the beginning and end of both sessions. Propranolol significantly decreased heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Heartbeat detection performance numerically decreased under propranolol, although this effect failed to reach statistical significance. Heartbeat tracking exhibited a practice effect in both sessions. There were no significant effects on the control tasks. State anxiety was unchanged within either session, and alertness decreased in both. These findings validate the propranolol paradigm, and the numerical change in heartbeat detection warrants follow-up with a larger sample.","abstract_html":"Interoception has recently come under research focus as a potential influence on emotional and epistemic feelings. However, existing means to manipulate it experimentally have conceptual or logistical drawbacks. We investigated whether 20 mg of propranolol is a viable agent for experimentally manipulating interoception. Thirteen participants completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, performing two heartbeat perception tasks, control tasks and measures of anxiety and alertness. All measures were obtained at the beginning and end of both sessions. Propranolol significantly decreased heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Heartbeat detection performance numerically decreased under propranolol, although this effect failed to reach statistical significance. Heartbeat tracking exhibited a practice effect in both sessions. There were no significant effects on the control tasks. State anxiety was unchanged within either session, and alertness decreased in both. These findings validate the propranolol paradigm, and the numerical change in heartbeat detection warrants follow-up with a larger sample.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kouptsova, Jane Evguenia"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"M Sc","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Neuroscience","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Stefan Kohler"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-08-03","date_published":"2017-08-03","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:13Z","subjects":["Interoception","propranolol","heartbeat detection","heartbeat tracking"],"languages":["en_ca"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/27156","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Stefan Kohler"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kouptsova, Jane Evguenia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-10T15:18:15Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-10T15:18:15Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2017-08-03"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Neuroscience"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M Sc"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Interoception","propranolol","heartbeat detection","heartbeat tracking"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_ca"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/27156"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Interoception has recently come under research focus as a potential influence on emotional and epistemic feelings. However, existing means to manipulate it experimentally have conceptual or logistical drawbacks. We investigated whether 20 mg of propranolol is a viable agent for experimentally manipulating interoception. Thirteen participants completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, performing two heartbeat perception tasks, control tasks and measures of anxiety and alertness. All measures were obtained at the beginning and end of both sessions. Propranolol significantly decreased heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Heartbeat detection performance numerically decreased under propranolol, although this effect failed to reach statistical significance. Heartbeat tracking exhibited a practice effect in both sessions. There were no significant effects on the control tasks. State anxiety was unchanged within either session, and alertness decreased in both. These findings validate the propranolol paradigm, and the numerical change in heartbeat detection warrants follow-up with a larger sample."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An investigation of propranolol as an agent for the experimental manipulation of interoception."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Stefan Kohler"],"dc:creator":["Kouptsova, Jane Evguenia"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-10T15:18:15Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-10T15:18:15Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2017-08-03"],"dc:description":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."],"dc:description.abstract":["Interoception has recently come under research focus as a potential influence on emotional and epistemic feelings. However, existing means to manipulate it experimentally have conceptual or logistical drawbacks. We investigated whether 20 mg of propranolol is a viable agent for experimentally manipulating interoception. Thirteen participants completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, performing two heartbeat perception tasks, control tasks and measures of anxiety and alertness. All measures were obtained at the beginning and end of both sessions. Propranolol significantly decreased heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Heartbeat detection performance numerically decreased under propranolol, although this effect failed to reach statistical significance. Heartbeat tracking exhibited a practice effect in both sessions. There were no significant effects on the control tasks. State anxiety was unchanged within either session, and alertness decreased in both. These findings validate the propranolol paradigm, and the numerical change in heartbeat detection warrants follow-up with a larger sample."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/27156"],"dc:language.iso":["en_ca"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:subject":["Interoception","propranolol","heartbeat detection","heartbeat tracking"],"dc:title":["An investigation of propranolol as an agent for the experimental manipulation of interoception."],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Neuroscience"],"thesis:degree_name":["M Sc"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:13Z"}