身体感覚から情動形成に至る脳内過程とその異常(シンポジウム : 情動形成とその異常の脳内機構-情動と心身相関のBlack Boxに迫る-,2006年,第47回日本心身医学会総会(東京))  [in Japanese] Normal and Abnormal Brain Processing of Interoception and Emotion(Symposium : Brain Mechanism of Normal and Abnormal Emotional Processing : Exploring Black Box of Emotion and Mind-Body Interaction)  [in Japanese]

身体感覚から情動形成に至る脳内過程の正常像と異常像を抽出することで,心身相関の謎が解ける可能性がある.代表的な心身症である過敏性腸症候群(irritable bowel syndrome ; IBS)の病態生理が解明されれば,心身症全体の克服につながるかもしれない.大腸にバロスタットバッグを挿入し,伸展刺激を加え,同時にH_2^<15>Oを静注し,positron emission tomography (PET)で局所脳血流量(rCBF)を測定した.これにより,視床,前帯状回,島,前頭前野の活性化が認められる.この時,同時に内臓感覚と不快情動が惹起される.健常者とIBS患者にはこのrCBFの賦活化様式に差が認められる.IBSで見出された現象の心身相関における普遍性が注目される.

Mind-body relationship may be clarified by investigation of normal and abnormal brain processing of interoception and emotion. In particular, research findings in pathophysiological mechanism of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) would be useful for applying the methodology to psychosomatic disorders in general. We measured regional cerebral blood flow by positron emission tomography (PET) with injecting H215O saline under the stimulation of the colon. The gut was distended with barostat bag. By distention, the thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and prefrontal cortex were activated. Abdominal pain and anxiety well correlated with activation of these structures. There are some differences in the patterns of brain activation between healthy subjects and patients with IBS. The findings of interoception and emotion in IBS is suggested to be generalized to the other disorders.