Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T04:06:31.118Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Cognitive-Affective Neuroscience of Somatization Disorder and Functional Somatic Syndromes: Reconceptualizing The Triad of Depression-Anxiety-Somatic Symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Abstract

Somatization disorder is a somatoform disorder that overlaps with a number of functional somatic syndromes and has high comorbidity with major depression and anxiety disorders. Proposals have been made for revising the category of somatoform disorders, for simplifying the criteria for somatization disorder, and for emphasizing the unitary nature of the functional somatic syndromes in future classifications. A review of the cognitive-affective neuroscience of somatization disorder and related conditions suggests that overlapping psychobiological mechanisms mediate depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms. Particular genes and environments may contribute to determining whether symptoms are predominantly depressive, anxious, or somatic, and there are perhaps also overlaps and distinctions in the distal evolutionary mechanisms that produce these symptoms.

Type
Pearls in Clinical Neuroscience
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Lieb, R, Meinlschmidt, G, Araya, R. Epidemiology of the association between somatoform disorders and anxiety and depressive disorders: an update. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:860863.Google Scholar
2.Henningsen, RZimmermann, T, Sattel, H. Medically unexplained physical symptoms, anxiety, and depression: a meta-analytic review. Psychosom Med. 2003;65:528533.Google Scholar
3.Barsky, AJ, Goodson, JD, Lane, RS, Cleary, PD. The amplification of somatic symptoms. Psychosom Med. 1988;50:510519.Google Scholar
4.Seminowicz, DA, Davis, KD. Cortical responses to pain in healthy individuals depends on pain catastrophizing. Pain. 2006;120:297306.Google Scholar
5.Coghill, RC, McHaffie, JG, Yen, YF. Neural correlates of interindividual differences in the subjective experience of pain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003;100:85388542.Google Scholar
6.Ringel, Y, Drossman, DA, Leserman, JL, et al.Effect of abuse history on pain reports and brain responses to aversive visceral stimulation: an fMRI study. Gastroenterology. 2008;134:396404.Google Scholar
7.Wood, PB. Neuroimaging in functional somatic syndromes. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2005;67:119163.Google Scholar
8.Stoeter, RBauermann, T, Nickel, R, et al.Cerebral activation in patients with somatoform pain disorder exposed to pain and stress: an fMRI study. Neuroimage. 2007;36:418430.Google Scholar
9.Gundel, H, Valet, M, Sorg, C, et al.Altered cerebral response to noxious heat stimulation in patients with somatoform pain disorder. Pain. 2007 Nov 15 [Epub ahead of print].Google Scholar
10.Gracely, RH, Geisser, ME, Giesecke, T, et al.Pain catastrophizing and neural responses to pain among persons with fibromyalgia. Brain. 2004;127:835843.Google Scholar
11.Rief, W, Barsky, AJ. Psychobiological perspectives on somatoform disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2005;30:9961002.Google Scholar
12.Yunus, MB. Fibromyalgia and overlapping disorders: the unifying concept of central sensitivity syndromes. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2007;36:339356.Google Scholar
13.Russo, S, Kema, IP, Fokkema, R, et al.Tryptophan as a link between psychopathology and somatic states. Psychosom Med. 2003;65:665671.Google Scholar
14.Koeppe, C, Schneider, C, Thieme, K, et al.The influence of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist tropisetron on pain in fibromyalgia: a functional magnetic resonance imaging pilot study. Scandinavian J Rheumatol Suppl. 2004;33:2427.Google Scholar
15.Wood, PB, Patterson, JC, Sunderland, JJ, et al.Reduced presynaptic dopamine activity in fibromyalgia syndrome demonstrated with positron emission tomography: a pilot study. J Pain. 2007;8:5158.Google Scholar
16.Dimsdale, JE, Dantzer, R. A biological substrate for somatoform disorders: importance of pathophysiology. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:850854.Google Scholar
17.Vianna, EPM, Tranel, D. Gastric myoelectrical activity as an index of emotional arousal. Int J Psychophysiol. 2006;61:7076.Google Scholar
18.Brown, RJ, Schrag, A, Trimble, MR. Dissociation, childhood interpersonal trauma, and family functioning in patients with somatization disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162:899905.Google Scholar
19.Spitzer, C, Barnow, S, Gau, K, et al.Childhood maltreatment in patients with somatization disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2008;42:335341.Google Scholar
20.van den Berg, B, Grievink, L, Yzermans, J, Lebret, E. Medically unexplained physical symptoms in the aftermath of disasters. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27:92106.Google Scholar
21.Craig, TKJ, Cox, AD, Klein, K. Intergenerational transmission of somatization behaviour: a study of chronic somatizers and their children. Psychol Med. 2002;32:805816.Google Scholar
22.Marshall, T, Jones, DP, Ramchandani, PG, Stein, A, Bass, C. Intergenerational transmission of health beliefs in somatoform disorders: exploratory study. Br J Psychiatry. 2007;191:449450.Google Scholar
23.Zubieta, JK, Heitzeg, MM, Smith, YR, et al.COMT val158met Genotype affects mu-opioid neurotransmitter responses to a pain stressor. Science. 2003;299:12401243.Google Scholar
24.Buskila, D, Sarzi-Puttini, PAblin, JN. The genetics of fibromyalgia syndrome. Pharmacogenomics. 2007;8:6774.Google Scholar
25.Saito, YA, Petersen, GM, Locke, GR. The genetics of irritable bowel syndrome. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005;3:10571065.Google Scholar
26.Saito, YA, Locke, GR, Zimmerman, JM, et al.A genetic association study of 5-HTT LPR and GNbeta3 C825T polymorphisms with irritable bowel syndrome. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2007;19:465470.Google Scholar
27.Schmidt, ED, Aguilera, G, Binnekade, R, Tilders, FJ. Single administration of interleukin-1 increased corticotropin releasing hormone and corticotropin releasing hormone-receptor mRNA in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus which paralleled long-lasting (weeks) sensitization to emotional stressors. Neuroscience. 2003;116:275283.Google Scholar
28.Hart, BL. Biological basis of the behavior of sick animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1988;12:123137.Google Scholar
29.Charlton, BG. The malaise theory of depression: major depressive disorder is sickness behavior and antidepressants are analgesic. Med Hypotheses. 2000;54:126130.Google Scholar
30.Kanaan, RA, Lepine, JRWessely, SC. The association or otherwise of the functional somatic syndromes. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:855859.Google Scholar
31.Wessely, S, White, PD. There is only one functional somatic syndrome. Br J Psychiatry. 2004;185:9596.Google Scholar
32.Oken, D. Evolution of psychosomatic diagnosis in DSM. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:830831.Google Scholar
33.Lowe, B, Mundt, C, Herzog, W, et al.Validity of current somatoform disorder diagnoses: perspectives for classification in DSM-V and ICD-11. Psychopathology. 2008;41:49.Google Scholar
34.Mayou, R, Kirmayer, LJ, Simon, G, Kroenke, K, Sharpe, M. Somatoform disorders: time for a new approach in DSM-V. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162:847855.Google Scholar
35.Creed, F. Can DSM-V facilitate productive research into the somatoform disorders? J Psychosom Res. 2006;60:331334.Google Scholar
36.Fava, GA, Wise, TN. Issues for DSM-V. psychological factors affecting either identified or feared medical conditions: a solution for somatoform disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 2007;164:10021003.Google Scholar
37.Janca, A. Rethinking somatoform disorders. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2005;18:6571.Google Scholar
38.Kroenke, K, Sharpe, M, Sykes, R. Revising the classification of somatoform disorders: key questions and preliminary recommendations. Psychosomatics. 2007;48:277285.Google Scholar
39.Noyes, RJ, Stuart, SP, Watson, DB. A reconceptualization of the somatoform disorders. Psychosomatics. 2008;49:1422.Google Scholar
40.Rief, W, Isaac, M. Are somatoform disorders ‘mental disorders’? A contribution to the current debate. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2007;20:143146.Google Scholar
41.Starcevic, V. Somatoform disorders and DSM-V. conceptual and political issues in the debate. Psychosomatics. 2006;47:277281.Google Scholar
42.Sykes, R. Somatoform disorders in DSM-IV. mental or physical disorders? J Psychosom Res. 2006;60:341344.Google Scholar
43.Rief, W, Rojas, G. Stability of somatoform symptoms—implications for classification. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:864869.Google Scholar
44.Strassnig, M, Stowell, KR, First, MB, et al.General medical and psychiatric perspectives on somatoform disorders: separated by an uncommon language. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2006;19:194200.Google Scholar
45.Kroenke, K, Spitzer, RL, deGruy, FV, et al.Multisomatoform disorder. An alternative to undifferentiated somatoform disorder for the somatizing patient in primary care. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997;54:352358.Google Scholar
46.Fabbri, S, Fava, GA, Sirri, L, Wise, TN. Development of a new assessment strategy in psychosomatic medicine: the diagnostic criteria for psychosomatic research. Adv Psychosom Med. 2007;28:120.Google Scholar
47.Kroenke, K, Spitzer, RL, Williams, JB. The PHQ-15: validity of a new measure for evaluating the severity of somatic symptoms. Psychosom Med. 2002;64:258266.Google Scholar
48.Wedekind, D, Bandelow, B, Fentzahn, E, Trumper, P, Ruther, E. The quantification inventory for somatoform syndromes (QUISS): a novel instrument for the assessment of severity. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2007;257:153163.Google Scholar
49.Luthra, A, Wessely, S. Unloading the trunk: neurasthenia, CFS and race. Soc Sci Med. 2004;58:23632369.Google Scholar
50.Escobar, JI, Gureje, O. Influence of cultural and social factors on the epidemiology of idiopathic somatic complaints and syndromes. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:841845.Google Scholar
51.Kroenke, K. Efficacy of treatment for somatoform disorders. a review of randomized controlled trials. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:841845.Google Scholar
52.Muller, JE, Wentzel, I, Koen, L, et al.Escitalopram in the treatment of multisomatoform disorder: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Int Clin Psychopharrnacol. 2008;23:4348.Google Scholar
53.Henningsen, RZipfel, S, Herzog, W. Management of functional somatic syndromes. Lancet. 2007;369:946955.Google Scholar
54.Sumathipala, A. What is the evidence for the efficacy of treatments for somatoform disorders? A critical review of previous intervention studies. Psychosom Med. 2007;69:889900.Google Scholar
55.Jackson, JL, O'Malley, PG, Kroenke, K. Antidepressants and cognitive-behavioral therapy for symptom syndromes. CNS Spectr. 2006;11:212222.Google Scholar
56.Harnack, D, Scheel, M, Mundt, A, Kupsch, A, Heinz, A, Strohle, A. Pregabalin in patients with antidepressant treatment-resistant somatoform disorders: a case series. J Clin Psychopharrnacol. 2007;27:537539.Google Scholar
57.Fallon, BA. Pharmacotherapy of somatoform disorders. J Psychosom Res. 2004;56:455460.Google Scholar
58.Jackson, JL, Kroenke, K. Managing somatization: medically unexplained should not mean medically ignored. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21:797799.Google Scholar
59.Fischhoff, B, Wessely, S. Managing patients with inexplicable health problems. BMJ. 2003;326:595597.Google Scholar
60.van Staden, WC. Conceptual issues in undifferentiated somatoform disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2006;19:613618.Google Scholar
61.Henningsen, P. The body in the brain: towards a representational neurobiology of somatoform disorders. Acta Neuropsychiatrica. 2003;15:157160.Google Scholar
62.Bass, C, Peveler, R, House, A. Somatoform disorders: severe psychiatric illnesses neglected by psychiatrists. Br J Psychiatry. 2001;179:1114.Google Scholar