Influence of Interoceptive Fear Learning on Visceral Perception

Autor: Huynh Giao Ly, Nathalie Weltens, Omer Van den Bergh, Dieter Struyf, Ilse Van Diest, Jonas Zaman, Katja Wiech, Johan W.S. Vlaeyen, Lukas Van Oudenhove
Přispěvatelé: Section Experimental Health Psychology, RS: FPN CPS I
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(2), 248-258. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
ISSN: 0033-3174
Popis: Objectives Interoceptive fear learning and generalization have been hypothesized to play a key role in unexplained abdominal and esophageal pain in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. However, there is no experimental evidence demonstrating that fear learning and generalization to visceral sensations can be established in humans and alter visceral perception. Methods In a novel fear learning-generalization paradigm, an innocuous esophageal balloon distension served as conditioned stimulus (CS), and distensions at three different pressure levels around the pain detection threshold were used as generalization stimuli. During fear learning, the CS was paired with a painful electrical stimulus (unconditioned stimulus) in the conditioning group (n = 30), whereas in the control group (n = 30), the unconditioned stimulus was delivered alone. Before and after fear learning, visceral perception thresholds for first sensation, discomfort, and pain and visceral discrimination sensitivity were assessed. Results Fear learning was established in the conditioning group only (potentiated eye-blink startle to the CS (t(464.06) = 3.17, p = .002), and fear generalization to other stimulus intensities was observed (t(469.12) = 2.97, p = .003; t(464.29) = 4.17, p
Databáze: OpenAIRE