20 patients with somatoform disorders as defined by DSM-IV and 20 healthy c
ontrols were examined for their proprioception. Several psychophysiological
theories of somatoform disorders suggest biased proprioceptive abilities.
The primary question is, whether we may find an inaccurate myogen perceptio
n in somatization as suggested by the approach of Bischoff [Wahrnehmung der
Muskelspannung (Perception of muscle tension) Gottingen: Hogrefe (1989)] o
r a more precise proprioception as may be derived from concepts of a higher
awareness of body reactions [e.g. Barksky, A. J. (1992) Amplification, som
atization, and the somatoform disorders. Psychosomatics, 39, 28-34; Salkovs
kis, P. M., & Clark, D. M. (1993) Panic disorder and hypochondiasis. Adv. R
es. Ther. 15, 23-48]. Furthermore it is expected, that somatoform patients
perceive their muscle tension more intensely than do healthy subjects. Prop
rioceptive abilities were tested using a visual EMG biofeedback task. Resul
ting objective data and subjective ratings were analyzed within a psychophy
siological regression approach which allows one to estimate the reliability
, precision and intensity of proprioception. Results revealed that somatofo
rm subjects demonstrared a more precise but not a more intense perception o
f muscle tension than did healthy controls. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.
All rights reserved.