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Gut-Brain Axis Exploration: Stabilometric Platform Performances in Children Affected by Functional Gastrointestinal
Giovanna Tezza1, Giulia Paiola1, Leonardo Zoccante2
1Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynaecology, Pediatrics Section.
Insights
Children with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) exhibit altered postural control, suggesting hypervigilance influences attentional processing. This finding highlights the gut-brain axis connection in FGIDs.
Area of Science:
- Neurogastroenterology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) involve gut-brain axis dysfunction.
- Hypervigilance is linked to increased pain reporting in FGIDs.
- The impact of hypervigilance on attentional processing in pediatric FGIDs remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of hypervigilance on postural control and attentional processing in children with FGIDs.
- To compare postural control between children with FGIDs, healthy controls, and those with organic diseases.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-nine children were categorized into FGIDs, healthy controls (Cntl), and organic disease (Org) groups based on Rome IV criteria.
- Postural control was assessed using a stabilometric platform under six sensory conditions.
- Key parameters included center of pressure (CoP) velocity, trajectory length, and sway area.
Main Results:
- Children with FGIDs demonstrated increased anteroposterior and mediolateral oscillations, and sway area compared to controls under normal visual and somatosensory input.
- With altered somatosensory input, FGID participants showed significantly higher values across all postural control parameters compared to both controls and organic disease groups.
- These findings suggest an attentional processing alteration, potentially linked to hypervigilance, in children with FGIDs.
Conclusions:
- Altered postural control in children with FGIDs, particularly under altered sensory conditions, suggests a role for hypervigilance.
- The study supports the hypothesis of gut-brain axis alterations influencing attentional processing and motor control in pediatric FGIDs.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms linking hypervigilance, attention, and gut-brain axis dysfunction in FGIDs.
Objective:
The pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) is associated with dysfunction at various levels of the gut-brain axis. Hypervigilance can result in an increased tendency to report pain. In the present study, we aimed to explore whether hypervigilance can influence attentional processing in postural control in children with FGIDs.
Patients And Methods:
Fifty-nine participants classified into healthy subjects, those with FGIDs, and those with organic diseases (Org) based on Rome IV criteria were enrolled. Postural control under 6 sensory conditions was evaluated using a stabilometric platform. The mean velocity of the center of pressure (CoP) displacement in the anteroposterior direction and the mediolateral direction, the length of the CoP trajectory, and the sway area were also measured.
Results:
With visual and somatosensorial normal inputs, participants with FGIDs showed a higher number of anteroposterior (FGIDs: 4[interquartile range [IQR] 3-7], control [Cntl] 3 [IQR 3-4], P < 0.05) latero-lateral oscillations (FGIDs: 3 [IQR 3-6], Cntl 3 [IQR 2-3], P < 0.05) and a higher perimeter value (FGIDs: 148 [IQR 121-240], Cntl 124 [IQR 111-140], P = 0.056) compared to healthy subjects. With normal visual but altered somatosensorial input, subjects with FGIDs showed higher values of all parameters (anteroposterior: FGIDs 6[IQR 5-8], Cntl and Org 5 [IQR 4-6], P < 0.05; latero-lateral FGIDs 6 [IQR 4-8], Cntl 4 [IQR 4-5], Org 4[IQR 3-5], P < 0.05; perimeter FGIDs 253 [IQR 167-305], Cntl 185 [IQR 161-217], Org 176 [IQR 142-219], P < 0.05; area FGIDs 98 [IQR 81-233], Cntl 86 [IQR 59-114], Org 56 [IQR 41-97], P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The higher number of oscillations in subjects with FGIDs who had normal visual input could be expression of alteration in attention and therefore hypervigilance as hypothesized in the context of gut-brain axis alterations.
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