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Project

Does attention to the body influence symptom perception? An experimental evaluation of hypervigilance and its impact on the perception of esophageal sensations.

Functional esophageal disorders are a class of gastrointestinal disorders where no organic abnormality explaining the symptoms can be identified. This disconnect between symptom perception and physiological abnormalities results in adverse disease outcomes. Given the impact of psychological processes on the gastrointestinal tract through the brain-gut axis, research has shifted towards identifying their potential role in modulating gastrointestinal symptom perception. Esophageal hypervigilance, defined as increased attention to esophageal stimuli, is proposed as a key driver of esophageal symptom generation. However, research to date is cross-sectional and based on data from self-report measures, preventing directional, causal, or mechanistic conclusions. Thus, there is a need for paradigms manipulating and quantifying attention to esophageal sensations to increase our understanding of esophageal hypervigilance. My interdisciplinary translational proposal aims to (1) quantify hypervigilance towards esophageal stimuli and its impact on intensity perception using novel paradigms, (2) identify the underlying mechanisms using innovative analysis techniques, and (3) make an early effort to translate these findings to functional esophageal disorder patients. This will inform our fundamental understanding of esophageal hypervigilance as well as identify a target for novel psychological treatments in this notoriously difficult to treat patient population.

Date:1 Oct 2021 →  Today
Keywords:Hypervigilance, Symptom perception, Esophageal disorders
Disciplines:Gastro-enterology, Health psychology, Sensory processes and perception