Lauren Pattyn, Jonas Zaman, Iris van de Pavert, Valentina Jelinčić, Andreas von Leupoldt, Lukas Van Oudenhove, Ilse Van Diest
{"title":"Learned Symptom-Specific Fear Toward a Visceral Sensation and Its Impact on Perceptual Habituation.","authors":"Lauren Pattyn, Jonas Zaman, Iris van de Pavert, Valentina Jelinčić, Andreas von Leupoldt, Lukas Van Oudenhove, Ilse Van Diest","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001345","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Impaired habituation of bodily sensations has been suggested as a contributing factor to chronic pain. We examined in healthy volunteers the influence of fear learning toward a nonpainful sensation in the esophagus on the perceptual habituation of this sensation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a homoreflexive fear learning paradigm, nonpainful electrical sensations in the esophagus were used as a conditioned stimulus (CS). This sensation was presented 42 times before, during, and after fear learning. In the fear learning group ( n = 41), the CS was paired with a painful electrical sensation in the esophagus (unconditioned stimulus [US]). In the control group ( n = 41), the CS was not paired with the US. Ratings for CS intensity, US expectancy, startle electromyogram (EMG), skin conductance responses (SCR), and event-related potentials (ERPs) to the CS were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to the control group, fear learning was observed in the fear learning group as evidenced by potentiated startle responses after the CS relative to ITI ( t (1327) = 3.231, p = .001) and higher US expectancy ratings ( t (196) = 3.17, p = .002). SCRs did not differ between groups ( F1,817 = 1.241, p = .33). Despite successful fear learning, the fear learning group did not show a distinct pattern of habituation to the visceral CS relative to the control group (intensity ratings: F1,77.731 = 0.532, p = .47; ERPs: F1,520.78 = 0.059, p = .94).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Acquired fear to nonpainful esophageal sensations does not affect their perceptual habituation patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":20918,"journal":{"name":"Psychosomatic Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychosomatic Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001345","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/9/19 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: Impaired habituation of bodily sensations has been suggested as a contributing factor to chronic pain. We examined in healthy volunteers the influence of fear learning toward a nonpainful sensation in the esophagus on the perceptual habituation of this sensation.
Methods: In a homoreflexive fear learning paradigm, nonpainful electrical sensations in the esophagus were used as a conditioned stimulus (CS). This sensation was presented 42 times before, during, and after fear learning. In the fear learning group ( n = 41), the CS was paired with a painful electrical sensation in the esophagus (unconditioned stimulus [US]). In the control group ( n = 41), the CS was not paired with the US. Ratings for CS intensity, US expectancy, startle electromyogram (EMG), skin conductance responses (SCR), and event-related potentials (ERPs) to the CS were assessed.
Results: Compared to the control group, fear learning was observed in the fear learning group as evidenced by potentiated startle responses after the CS relative to ITI ( t (1327) = 3.231, p = .001) and higher US expectancy ratings ( t (196) = 3.17, p = .002). SCRs did not differ between groups ( F1,817 = 1.241, p = .33). Despite successful fear learning, the fear learning group did not show a distinct pattern of habituation to the visceral CS relative to the control group (intensity ratings: F1,77.731 = 0.532, p = .47; ERPs: F1,520.78 = 0.059, p = .94).
Conclusion: Acquired fear to nonpainful esophageal sensations does not affect their perceptual habituation patterns.
期刊介绍:
Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. The journal publishes experimental, clinical, and epidemiological studies on the role of psychological and social factors in the biological and behavioral processes relevant to health and disease. Psychosomatic Medicine is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal devoted to high-quality science on biobehavioral mechanisms, brain-behavior interactions relevant to physical and mental disorders, as well as interventions in clinical and public health settings.
Psychosomatic Medicine was founded in 1939 and publishes interdisciplinary research articles relevant to medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and other health-related disciplines. The print journal is published nine times a year; most articles are published online ahead of print. Supplementary issues may contain reports of conferences at which original research was presented in areas relevant to the psychosomatic and behavioral medicine.