Evidence that subclinical somatoform dissociation is not characterised by heightened awareness of proprioceptive signals

Ratcliffe, Natasha; Newport, Roger

Abstract

Introduction: It has been suggested that abnormal perceptual processing and somatosensory amplification may be contributory factors to somatoform symptom reporting. A key source of somatosensory information is proprioception, yet the perception and integration of this sense has not been sufficiently investigated in those prone to somatoform disorders.

Methods: Subclinical groups of high- and low-scorers on the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire made judgements about the location of their unseen hand following congruent or incongruent visuo-proprioceptive feedback, which was manipulated using a MIRAGE-mediated reality system.

Results: No differences were found between groups, with both groups displaying normal proprioceptive accuracy under congruent conditions and equivalent visuo-proprioceptive integration under incongruent conditions.

Conclusions: The results suggest that amplification of, or abnormal weighting for, proprioceptive signals is not a contributing factor to somatoform symptom reporting.

Citation

Ratcliffe, N., & Newport, R. (in press). Evidence that subclinical somatoform dissociation is not characterised by heightened awareness of proprioceptive signals. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 21(5), https://doi.org/10.1080/13546805.2016.1231112

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 26, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Sep 23, 2016
• Deposit Date: Nov 30, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 30, 2016
• Journal: Cognitive Neuropsychiatry
• Print ISSN: 1354-6805
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-0619
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 5
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13546805.2016.1231112
• Keywords: Somatoform dissociation, medically unexplained symptoms, proprioception, sensory integration, MIRAGE
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/809662
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13546805.2016.1231112
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry on 23/09/16, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13546805.2016.1231112