Do we perceive sensations inside and outside of our body differently? Perceptual, emotional, and behavioral differences between visceral and somatic sensation, discomfort, and pain

Livia Guadagnoli*, Yannick Hoffert, Sofie Den Hond, Erwin Dreesen, Dimitri van Ryckeghem, Stefaan Van Damme, Jonas Zaman, Lukas Van Oudenhove

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Experimental research evaluating differences between the visceral and somatic stimulation is limited to pain and typically uses different induction methods for visceral and somatic stimulation (e.g., rectal balloon distention vs. tactile hand stimulation). Our study aimed to compare differences in response time, intensity, unpleasantness, and threat between identical electrical visceral and somatic stimulations at both painful and non-painful perceptual thresholds. Methods: Electrical stimulation was applied to the wrist and distal esophagus in 20 healthy participants. A double pseudorandom staircase determined perceptual thresholds of Sensation, Discomfort, and Pain for the somatic and visceral stimulations, separately. Stimulus reaction time (ms, via button press), and intensity, unpleasantness, and threat ratings were recorded after each stimulus. General linear mixed models compared differences in the four outcomes by stimulation type, threshold, and the stimulation type-by-threshold interaction. Sigmoidal maximum effect models evaluated differences in outcomes across all delivered stimulation intensities. Key Results: Overall, visceral stimulations were perceived as more intense, threatening, and unpleasant compared to somatic stimulations, but participants responded faster to somatic stimulations. There was no significant interaction effect, but planned contrasts demonstrated differences at individual thresholds. Across all delivered intensities, higher intensity stimulations were needed to reach the half-maximum effect of self-reported intensity, unpleasantness, and threat ratings in the visceral domain. Conclusions and Inferences: Differences exist between modalities for both non-painful and painful sensations. These findings may have implications for translating paradigms and behavioral treatments from the somatic domain to the visceral domain, though future research in larger clinical samples is needed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere14787
JournalNeurogastroenterology and Motility
Volume36
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2024

Funding

Livia Guadagnoli is a postdoctoral research fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, 12A7822N). Yannick Hoffert is a doctoral research fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, 1SHAA24N). Jonas Zaman is a postdoctoral research fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, 12P8623N) and received funding from the Alexander von Humboldt\u2010Foundation. Lukas Van Oudenhove is a research professor of the KU Leuven Special Research Fund. This study was supported by an infrastructure grant from the FWO and the Research Fund KU Leuven, Belgium (AKUL/19/06; I011320N).

Keywords

  • behavioral medicine
  • experimental psychology
  • nociceptive pain
  • perception
  • visceral pain

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
  • Gastroenterology

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