Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jan 2015
Review Meta AnalysisEthnic differences in resting heart rate variability: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ethnic disparities in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are widely documented in the literature. Recently, research has shown that decreased parasympathetic cardiac modulation is associated with the established and emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke. In consideration of the disproportionate CVD risk and disease profile of African Americans (AAs), it is plausible that decreased cardiac parasympathetic functioning may partially explain these disparities. In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, we assess the available evidence for a reliable ethnic difference in tonic vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of parasympathetic cardiac modulation. ⋯ These findings suggest that decreased vagally mediated HRV is not likely to account for the persistent health disparities experienced by AAs with respect to CVD risk and burden. These disparities underscore the need for continued research addressing socioethnic cardiovascular differences and the biobehavioral mechanisms involved.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Oct 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyThe effects of a telehealth coping skills intervention on outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: primary results from the INSPIRE-II study.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and reduced quality of life (QoL). Novel interventions are needed to improve outcomes in COPD patients. The present study assessed the effects of a telephone-based coping skills intervention on psychological and somatic QoL and on the combined medical end point of COPD-related hospitalizations and all-cause mortality. ⋯ A telehealth CST intervention produced clinically meaningful improvements in QoL and functional capacity, but no overall improvement in risk of COPD-related hospitalization and all-cause mortality.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jul 2014
Controlled Clinical TrialThe effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on acute cold pressor pain: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-participants crossover investigation.
This study examined the effect of synthetic oxytocin delivered intranasally on acute pain sensitivity using a placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-participant crossover design. ⋯ These results suggest that oxytocin can lead to decreased acute pain sensitivity.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jul 2014
Early adverse life events and resting state neural networks in patients with chronic abdominal pain: evidence for sex differences.
Early adverse life events (EALs) and sex have been identified as vulnerability factors for the development of several stress-sensitive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We aimed to identify disease and sex-based differences in resting state (RS) connectivity associated with EALs in individuals with IBS. ⋯ This cross sectional study identified correlations between RS networks and EALs in individuals with IBS. These results suggest that exposure to EALs before age 18 years can shape adult RS in both male and female patients in the salience/executive control network, a brain network that has been implicated in the pathophysiology of central pain amplification.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jul 2014
Illness behavior in patients with chronic low back pain and activation of the affective circuitry of the brain.
Patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) show a range of behavioral patterns that do not correlate with degree of spinal abnormality found in clinical, radiological, neurophysiological, or laboratory investigations. This may indicate an augmented central pain response, consistent with factors that mediate and maintain psychological distress in this group. ⋯ Patients with cLBP displaying major pain behavior have increased activity in the emotional circuitry of the brain. This study is the first to suggest an association between a specific clinical test in cLBP and neurobiology of the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging may provide a tool capable of enhancing diagnostic accuracy and affecting treatment decisions in cases where no structural cause can be identified.