title: The origin of symptoms on the brain-gut axis in functional dyspepsia.
abstract: It was hypothesized that symptoms in functional dyspepsia are originated by an altered mechanism at the brain-gut axis (one or several) in the process of gastric accommodation to a meal. To test the key mechanisms potentially involved in symptomatic gastric accommodation, the sensorial responses (on a 0-10 perception score) and the gastric tone responses (by electronic barostat) to either gastric accommodation (n = 10) or to cold stress (n = 10) were measured in 20 patients with functional dyspepsia and 20 healthy controls. The mechanical accommodation of the stomach to gastric distention (compliance) was similar in patients (52 +/- 8 mL/mm Hg) and controls (57 +/- 6 mL/mm Hg). However, isobaric gastric distention elicited more upper abdominal discomfort in dyspeptics than in controls (perception scores, 4.7 +/- 0.9 vs. 1.1 +/- 0.5, respectively; mean +/- SE; P less than 0.005). Cold stress induced a similar gastric relaxatory response in dyspeptics and controls (delta vol, 145 mL +/- 40 mL vs. 141 mL +/- 42 mL, respectively); hand perception (scores, 8.3 +/- 0.4 vs. 7.9 +/- 0.4, respectively) and autonomic responses were also similar. It is concluded that an abnormal afferent sensorial pathway (altered gastric perception) may be a major mechanism of symptom production in functional dyspepsia.
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mearin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cucala
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azpiroz
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Malagelada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D011312:Pressure; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation*