Biological and cognitive aspects of somatoform disorders

ABSTRACT

A practical clinical subdivision of Psychosomatic Syndromes is proposed. Physiological and clinical features of both of them are discussed. The real and serious clinical problem that this entities represents is stated. Actual concepts about functional disorders of the Gl are being analyzed. Special focus is placed in the relation between the anatomical and physiological arrangement of the visceral afferent pathways, and the clinical presentations of these entities. The terms and concepts hypersensitivity, hyperalgesia, pain thresholds, somatic reference of visceral pain, pain memory, receptive fields are studied.The mechanisms that allows and conduces to the hole expression of the syndrome are thought to have the special characters of the visceral sensorial modalities.It is proposed that many functional psychosomatic patients (Somatoform patients) have alterations in sensorial process at a peripheral level, with alterations in the pain and noxious memory of the Sensitive neurons of the dorsal horn. Cognitive process is being discussed, and an integrative point of view is proposed.It is concluded that the unique clinical, anatomical and physiological feature of visceral sensitive process Ambiguity, and lack of accuracy, makes it more biased to distortions in the information process