Dataset Information

Electrophysiological evidence for changes in attentional orienting and selection in functional somatic symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

We investigated changes in attention mechanisms in people who report a high number of somatic symptoms which cannot be associated with a physical cause.

Method

Based on scores on the Somatoform Disorder Questionnaire (SDQ-20; Nijenhuis et al., 1996) we compared two non-clinical groups, one with high symptoms on the SDQ-20 and a control group with low or no symptoms. We recorded EEG whilst participants performed an exogenous tactile attention task where they had to discriminate between tactile targets following a tactile cue to the same or opposite hand.

Results

The neural marker of attentional orienting to the body, the Late Somatosensory Negativity (LSN), was diminished in the high symptoms group and attentional modulation of touch processing was prolonged at mid and enhanced at later latency stages in this group.

Conclusion

These results confirm that attentional processes are altered in people with somatic symptoms, even in a non-clinical group. Furthermore, the observed pattern fits explanations of changes in prior beliefs or expectations leading to diminished amplitudes of the marker of attentional orienting to the body (i.e. the LSN) and enhanced attentional gain of touch processing.

Significance

This study shows that high somatic symptoms are associated with neurocognitive attention changes.

SUBMITTER: Karlinski M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6318479 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Electrophysiological evidence for changes in attentional orienting and selection in functional somatic symptoms.

Karlinski Maayan M Jones Alexander A Forster Bettina B

Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 20181030 1

<h4>Objective</h4>We investigated changes in attention mechanisms in people who report a high number of somatic symptoms which cannot be associated with a physical cause.<h4>Method</h4>Based on scores on the Somatoform Disorder Questionnaire (SDQ-20; Nijenhuis et al., 1996) we compared two non-clinical groups, one with high symptoms on the SDQ-20 and a control group with low or no symptoms. We recorded EEG whilst participants performed an exogenous tactile attention task where they had to discri ...[more]

PMID: 30481650

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Dataset Information

Electrophysiological evidence for changes in attentional orienting and selection in functional somatic symptoms.

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Significance

Publications

Electrophysiological evidence for changes in attentional orienting and selection in functional somatic symptoms.

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