| Title | Autonomic activity and somatic symptoms in response to success vs. failure on a cognitive task: a comparison of chronic abdominal pain patients and well children. | ||
| Author | Puzanovova, Martina; Arbogast, Patrick G; Smith, Craig A; Anderson, Julia; Diedrich, Andre; Walker, Lynn S | ||
| Journal | J Psychosom Res | Publication Year/Month | 2009-Sep |
| PMID | 19686879 | PMCID | PMC2748677 |
| Affiliation | 1.Department of Pediatrics/Division of Adolescent Medicine and Behavioral Science, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA. martina.puzanovova@vanderbilt.edu. | ||
OBJECTIVES: To compare autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and somatic symptoms in chronic abdominal pain (CAP) patients and well children during (a) resting baseline, (b) training in a cognitive task, and (c) random assignment to success vs. failure on the task. METHODS: The ECG was continuously recorded with a dual lead system (Biopac) in 45 CAP patients and 22 well children, ages 9-16 years (mean age=12.3). Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed during the 5-min resting baseline, training, and success/failure on the task. Performance expectations were assessed before the task. Gastrointestinal (GI) and non-GI somatic symptoms were assessed before and after the task. RESULTS: Compared to well children, CAP patients reported lower expectations for their task performance and higher GI symptoms (P\'s<.05). During success, CAP patients exhibited significant increases in both sympathetic (P<.05) and parasympathetic (P<.05) activity, whereas well children exhibited no change in ANS activity. During failure, CAP patients exhibited significant increases in somatic symptoms (<.05) but no change in ANS activity. CONCLUSIONS: The lower performance expectations of CAP patients compared to well children may have influenced their experience of success and contributed to differences in their autonomic activity.