Exploring Central-Peripheral Nervous System Interaction Through Multimodal Biosignals: A Systematic Review

The interaction between the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) governs various physiological functions, influences cognitive processes and emotional states. It is necessary to unravel the mechanisms governing the interaction between the brain and the body, enhancing our understanding of physical and mental well-being. Neuro-ergonomics-based human-computer interaction can be improved by comprehending the intricate interrelation between the CNS and PNS. Various studies have been explored using diverse methodologies to study CNS-PNS interaction in specific psychophysiological states, such as emotion, stress, or cognitive tasks. However, there is a need for a thorough, extensive, and systematic review covering diverse interaction forms, applications, and assessments. In this work, an attempt has been made to perform a systematic review that examines the interaction between the CNS and PNS across diverse psychophysiological states, focusing on varied physiological signals. For this, scientific repositories, namely Scopus, PubMed, Association for Computing Machinery, and Web of Science, are accessed. In total, 61 articles have been identified within the period of January 2008 to April 2023 for systematic review. The selected research articles are analyzed based on factors, namely subject information, stimulation modality, types of interactions between the brain and other organs, feature extraction techniques, classification methods, and statistical approaches. The evaluation of the existing literature indicates a scarcity of publicly available databases for CNS-PNS interaction and limited application of machine learning and deep learning-based advanced tools. Furthermore, this review underscores the urgent need for enhancements in several key areas including the development of a more refined psycho-physiological model, improved analysis techniques, and better electrode-surface interface technology. Additionally, there is a need for more research involving daily life activities, female-oriented studies, and privacy considerations. This review contributes to standardizing protocols, improves the diagnostic relevance of various instruments, and extracts more reliable biomarkers. The novelty of this study lies in guiding researchers to point out various issues and potential solutions for future research in the field of bio-signal-based CNS-PNS interaction.