oxytocin and Psychophysiologic-Disorders

This article explicates a theory that oxytocin, a sexually dimorphic neurotransmitter and paracrine hormone, is a plausible mechanism linking early relational trauma with posttraumatic self disorders (e.g., dissociation, somatization, and interpersonal sensitivity), posttraumatic stress disorder, and pelvic visceral dysregulation disorders (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, interstitial cystitis, and hyperemesis gravidarum). This posttraumatic oxytocin dysregulation disorders theory is consistent with the historical and contemporary literature. It integrates attention to psychological and physical comorbidities and could account for the increased incidence of these disorders among females. Specific propositions are explored in data from studies of traumatic stress and women's health.

Topics: Cystitis, Interstitial; Dissociative Disorders; Female; Humans; Hyperemesis Gravidarum; Interpersonal Relations; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Models, Psychological; Models, Theoretical; Oxytocin; Pelvic Pain; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Somatoform Disorders; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Catecholamines; Chorioamnionitis; Female; Humans; Neuromuscular Junction; Obstetric Labor, Premature; Oxytocin; Pregnancy; Prostaglandins; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Single Person; Stress, Psychological; Synaptic Transmission; Uterine Contraction

Topics: Depression; Fallopian Tubes; Female; Gonadotropins; Humans; Hypothalamus; Infertility, Female; Orgasm; Ovulation; Oxytocin; Pregnancy; Psychology; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Psychosexual Development; Role

Topics: Adult; Aerosols; Analgesics; Female; Humans; Labor, Obstetric; Lactation; Muscles; Oxytocin; Phytotherapy; Placebos; Plants, Medicinal; Pregnancy; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Puerperal Disorders; Pyrazoles; Thrombophlebitis; Vaginal Diseases

Exact cause of the metabolic syndrome [MS], a global epidemic, is still unclear. Man has same fundamental needs to live as animals but modern man's life-style compels him to acquire certainty of resources for all his needs in a complex social network. Today money has become the sole life essential need. Contrarily none of the animals needs to earn money. Brain is also an organ of the human body with a unique thought process to define logical actions to achieve a person's goals. This way life is a flow of desires followed by logical actions. The person struggles to attain desired goals via the allostatic load but a perceived insurmountable threat can make his flow of life stalled to freeze him. Published data from varied branches of medical science indicates role of hormones in overall homeostasis. Particularly multifaceted role of serotonin is well documented. Adrenalin being the primary mediator of Cori cycle is also well known. From the integration of observations from published data with reference to common human's modern lifestyle, it is hypothesized that a perceived trapped situation in life creates acute chaos of thoughts in brain, which results in acute excess of stress hormones and concurrent depletion of resting hormones, which in turn triggers MS. In global terms, MS indicates an acute imbalance of a few hormones and implies psychosomatic roots of the disorder. This may pave a better way in deciding a personalized holistic protocol with combination of counter regulatory psychoactive medications.

Topics: Acidosis, Lactic; Allostasis; Animals; Brain; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cholecystokinin; Cholesterol; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet; Dopamine; Epinephrine; Exercise; Homeostasis; Hormones; Humans; Hypertension; Life Style; Metabolic Syndrome; Microbiota; Models, Theoretical; Motivation; Obesity; Oxytocin; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Risk Factors; Serotonin

The main objective of this work was to study plasma oxytocin concentration of children with psychosomatic recurrent abdominal pain and children with organic abdominal disease producing pain. Another objective was to study plasma oxytocin in children with psychosomatic recurrent pain over time and its relationship to other associated symptoms such as somatic pains and appetite.. The concentration of oxytocin in plasma (fasting morning sample) was measured by radioimmunoassay in 48 children with abdominal pain, 32 of whom had psychosomatic recurrent abdominal pain according to previously defined criteria. Oxytocin levels were assessed in a separate group of 15 children with inflammatory bowel disease with abdominal pain and in a control group of 79 healthy school children.. Plasma oxytocin concentration was significantly lower in children with recurrent abdominal pain of psychosomatic origin (P < 0.0001) and in the group of children with inflammatory bowel disease (P < 0.001) compared to controls. There was no difference between oxytocin levels of children with psychosomatic abdominal pain and those with inflammatory bowel disease. When repeated after one year, children with psychosomatic abdominal pain had an increase in mean plasma oxytocin level (P < 0.05). No relationship was found between specific symptoms and plasma oxytocin.. Plasma oxytocin level is low in patients with abdominal pain of psychosomatic origin and inflammatory bowel disease. Measurement of plasma oxytocin may be of some help in the differential diagnosis of recurrent abdominal pain, but does not differentiate between psychosomatic abdominal pain and pain associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Adolescent; Case-Control Studies; Child; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Male; Oxytocin; Pain Measurement; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Recurrence

The Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and some dimensions of the Bergman scale reflecting social dependency and self-confidence were used in 24 individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients showed higher scores of somatic anxiety, indirect aggression and irritability and lower scores in socialization when compared with a reference group. The levels of gastrointestinal symptoms as well as the levels of some hormones related to vagal nerve activity in this patient group have been reported in a previous publication. When the scores obtained in personality inventories were related to symptom levels, we found significant correlations with intestinal but not abdominal symptoms. Gastrin levels correlated inversely with socialization. Somatostatin levels on the other hand, correlated negatively with social dependency and positively with self-confidence in the Bergman scale. Interestingly, oxytocin levels correlated positively with social dependency and in addition with indirect aggression and verbal aggression. The correlation between hormone levels and scores of personality dimensions will be interpreted and discussed within a physiological context.

Topics: Adult; Aggression; Arousal; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gastrins; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Hostility; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Oxytocin; Personality Inventory; Psychometrics; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Psychotherapy, Group; Somatostatin

Twenty-four individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract participated in the study. Symptoms from the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract were recorded by means of a self-administered questionnaire before, 3 months and 3 yr after participation in group therapy. Blood was sampled from the patients while they were subjected to three different provocations (a friendly greeting, a food stimulus and a stress stimulus). Ten subjects without gastrointestinal symptoms participated in an identical experiment. Gastrin, somatostatin and oxytocin levels were measured with radioimmunoassay. Both gastrin and somatostatin levels were influenced by the provocations and by the greeting and the stress stimulus in particular. In principle, the controls tended to react with a parasympathetic response pattern following the interactive stimuli, whereas the individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract reacted with an activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Somatostatin levels were significantly higher and oxytocin levels lower in patients than in controls and gastrin levels tended to be higher in patients than in controls. Most individuals reported both gastric as well as intestinal symptoms. Gastrin levels correlated positively with total symptom level and somatostatin levels with intestinal symptoms scores reported by the patients.

Topics: Adult; Arousal; Eating; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gastrins; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Oxytocin; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Psychotherapy, Group; Somatostatin; Vagus Nerve

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anorexia Nervosa; Female; Humans; Hypothalamus; Oxytocin; Pregnancy; Psychophysiologic Disorders; Puerperal Disorders; Vasopressins