LOW VAGAL ACTIVITY AS MEDIATING MECHANISM FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY-FACTORS AND GASTRIC SYMPTOMS IN FUNCTIONAL DYSPEPSIA

Low vagal tone may represent a mediating mechanism for relationships b etween personality and symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD) through a mechanism of antral hypomotility. Twenty-one patients with FD and sev enteen healthy controls completed a series of personality tests before vagal and sympathetic activity, antral motility, and abdominal sympto ms were assessed in response to a laboratory task. Functional dyspepsi a patients had lower scores on vagal tone (p=.054) and motility index (p=.011) in addition to the expected higher scores on epigastric disco mfort (p=.002). Psychological factors explained a substantial amount o f the variance in vagal activity, antral motility, and reported sympto ms. Symptoms were predicted by trait anxiety (STAI-TR), depression (BD I), and neuroticism (EPQ-N). Poor vagal tone was related to neuroticis m (EPQ-N). Poor motility was best explained by task-related state dysp horia (SACL-STR).