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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Gut-Brain Axis
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1502752
This article is part of the Research Topic Sex differences in the Modulation of the Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis View all 3 articles

Sex differences in the reactivity of gastric myoelectrical activity and heart rate variability as putative psychophysiological markers in human pain research

Provisionally accepted
Rossitza Draganova Rossitza Draganova 1Genisius Hartanto Genisius Hartanto 2Robert Jan Pawlik Robert Jan Pawlik 1Jana Luisa Aulenkamp Jana Luisa Aulenkamp 3Sigrid Elsenbruch Sigrid Elsenbruch 2*
  • 1 Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
  • 2 Deptartment of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
  • 3 Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Essen University Hospital, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study explored the potential of electrogastrography (EGG) and heart rate variability (HRV) as psychophysiological markers in experimental pain research related to the gutbrain axis. We investigated responses to the experience of pain from the visceral (rectal distension) and somatic (cutaneous heat) pain modalities, with a focus on elucidating sex differences in EGG and HRV responses. Methods: In a sample of healthy volunteers (29 males, 43 females), EGG and ECG data were collected during a baseline and a pain phase. Data were analyzed for changes in gastric myoelectrical activity and cardiac autonomic regulation, with special attention to sex-specific patterns and correlations with perceptual responses to visceral and somatic pain stimuli, assessed by visual analogue scale ratings. Results: Acute pain induced significant instability in EGG slow-wave frequency and amplitude, increased tachygastria, and decreased normogastric spectral power, without evidence of sex differences. HRV analyses revealed increases in SDNN, RMSSD, and pNN50 during pain, indicating sympathovagal regulation changes. While there were no significant sex differences in EGG responses, only female participants exhibited significant correlations between visceral pain unpleasantness and EGG alterations. HRV measures, particularly time-domain parameters, showed sex differences, independent of pain-induced autonomic reactivity. Conclusions: The experience of pain in the lower abdominal region may induce impaired gastric motility. EGG and HRV are sensitive to acute pain and offer insight into pain mechanisms along the gut-brain axis. While EGG responses were consistent across sexes, HRV revealed sex-specific differences, suggesting that autonomic regulation and gastric motility may be modulated differently by pain and psychosocial factors. Further research in patients with chronic visceral pain is warranted.

    Keywords: sex differences, Visceral Pain, gut-brain axis, electrogastrography, Heart rate variability, Psychophysiology, Autonomic Nervous System, stress Article type: Original Research

    Received: 27 Sep 2024; Accepted: 28 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Draganova, Hartanto, Pawlik, Aulenkamp and Elsenbruch. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sigrid Elsenbruch, Deptartment of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

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