Review Article

Frequent Abdominal Pain in Childhood and Youth: A Systematic Review of Psychophysiological Characteristics

Table 2

Characteristics of included studies (ordered by publication date).

First author, YearPsychophysiological parametersExperimental paradigmInclusion criteria AP group controlsAge AP group (range) in years

Apley, 1956 [27]CNS: EEG (not specified)EEG recording of resting and evoked responses (hyperpnoea and photic stimulation)Apley and Naish’s criteria133133 healthyNN (3–14*)

Rubin, 1967 [14]ANS: Pupillary diameterReactivity on cold pressor taskMore than 6 months, at least weekly frequency1312 healthy10.6 (8–14)

Apley, 1971 [15]ANS: Pupillary diameterReactivity on cold pressor taskNot specified (recurrent AP)1614 healty
20 emotional disturbance
9.8 (5–13)

Battistella, 1992 [16]ANS: Pupillary diameterReactivity on phenylephrine eye-drops Apley and Naish’s criteria + dysautonomic symptoms 1815 healthy12.8 (10–16)

Feuerstein, 1982 [17]ANS: HR, digital blood volume pulse
EMG
Reactivity on cold pressor taskApley and Naish’s criteria109 organic ill
10 healthy
NN (9–14)

Alfvén, 1994 [30]ES: blood plasma oxytocin, cortisol, and prolactin Blood plasma concentrations of hormones after an overnight fast periodApley and Naish’s criteria4034 organic ill10 (7–16)

Olafsdottir, 2001 [22]ANS: HRV (RSA via deep breathing test), EDABaseline comparisonApley and Naish’s criteria2523 healthy10.7 (7–15)

Dorn, 2003 [19]ANS: HR, SBP
ES: salivary cortisol
Reactivity on mental and social stress (Trier Social Stress Test)Apley and Naish’s criteria1414 healthy
14 anxiety
12.7 (NN)

Alfvén, 2004 [31]ES: blood plasma cortisolBlood plasma concentrations of hormones after an overnight fast periodApley and Naish’s criteria2321 healthy9.5 (NN)
ES: blood plasma oxytocinBlood plasma concentrations of hormones after an overnight fast periodApley and Naish’s criteria3215 IBD
79 healthy
9.6 (6–15*)

Törnhage, 2006 [33]ES: salivary cortisol Diurnal variation of salivary cortisol Apley and Naish’s criteria31306 healthy10.8 (6–18)

Hermann, 2008 [28]CNS: EEG N1, P2, and P3Attentional bias to painful and innocuous somatic stimuliApley and Naish’s criteria1415 healthy12.1 (10–15)

Puzanovova, 2009 [25]ANS: HRV (frequency-based)Reactivity on success/failure in a cognitive taskApley and Naish’s criteria4522 healthy 11.6 (9–16*)

Bakker, 2010 [20]CNS: EMG
ANS: EDA
Auditory startle paradigmRome III FAP or IBS2023 healthy
25 anxiety
12.4 (NN)

Friesen, 2010 [26]ANS: HRV (time- and frequency-based)Reactivity following a test meal or rapid water loading, respectivelyRome III FD9 resp. 828 healthy13 (11–17)

Sowder, 2010 [23]ANS: HRV (time- and frequency-based)Baseline comparisonNot exactly specified (most probable Apley and Naish’s criteria)2010 healthy12.6 (5–17)

Dufton, 2011 [18]ANS: HRReactivity on mental and social stress, cold pressure taskApley and Naish’s criteria2121 healthy
21 anxiety
11.1 (8–16*)

Jarrett, 2012 [24]ANS: HRV (frequency-based)24 h monitoringRome III FAP or IBS10062 healthy8.9 (7–10)

Seino, 2012 [29]CNS: EEG latencies of I wave, III wave, IV wave, and V waveBrainstem auditory evoked potentials following click sounds Presence of at least one of seven GI symptoms in the last two weeks 7566 without GI symptoms7 (all at the same age)

ANS: autonomic nervous system, AP: abdominal pain, CNS: central nervous system, EDA: electrodermal activity, EEG: electroencephalography, EMG: electromyography, ES: endocrine system, FAP: functional abdominal pain, FD: functional dyspepsia, GI: gastrointestinal, HR: heart rate, HRV: heart rate variability, IBD: inflammatory bowel disease, IBS: irritable bowel syndrome, NN: not named, SBP: systolic blood pressure.
*Refers to the complete sample or to the sample prior to group assignment.