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Published on: October 25, 2016
Visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome
Motoyori Kanazawa1, Michio Hongo, Shin Fukudo
1Department of Behavioral Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. m-kanazawa@med.tohoku.ac.jp
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) involves altered brain processing and gut sensitivity. Both central and peripheral factors contribute to visceral hypersensitivity, a key feature in IBS patients.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
Background:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) pathophysiology may involve altered central processing, abnormal gastrointestinal motility, and visceral hypersensitivity.
- Patients with IBS often exhibit a lower pain threshold to colonic distention compared to healthy individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pain perception in the descending colon across different IBS subtypes.
- To explore the role of central and peripheral factors in visceral hypersensitivity in IBS.
Main Methods:
- Assessed pain perception to colonic distention in IBS subtypes.
- Examined brain activation patterns, specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), during rectal distention in IBS patients.
- Investigated the effects of serotonin (5-HT) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on visceral sensitivity.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in pain threshold to colonic distention was found between IBS with diarrhea and IBS with constipation subtypes.
- IBS patients demonstrated greater activation in the perigenual ACC during painful rectal distention compared to healthy subjects.
- CRH receptor antagonism reduced visceral sensitivity and abdominal pain in animal models and IBS patients.
Conclusions:
- Visceral hypersensitivity is prevalent in IBS and plays a major role in symptom development.
- Both central mechanisms (e.g., ACC activation) and peripheral factors (e.g., 5-HT, CRH) contribute to enhanced pain sensitivity in IBS.
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