Musial F, Häuser W, Langhorst J, Dobos G, Enck P. Psychophysiology of visceral pain in IBS and health.
J Psychosom Res 2008;
64:589-97. [PMID:
18501259 DOI:
10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.02.024]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2007] [Revised: 02/05/2008] [Accepted: 02/07/2008] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The psychophysiology of visceral pain as it relates to gastrointestinal motility, visceral sensitivity, and putative mechanisms of the processing of visceral stimuli by the central and peripheral nervous systems are discussed. Peripheral mechanisms may include low-grade mucosal inflammation, and it is likely that central nervous mechanisms such as neuronal plasticity at the level of the spinal cord and attentional bias at the cortical level are relevant for the chronification of visceral pain. From a psychophysiological perspective, visceral pain therefore remains a complex symptom because behavioral variables, such as the way an individual deals with stress, may be as important for the etiology of visceral pain as, for example, a history of inflammation.
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