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Saliva Amylase as a Measure of Sympathetic Change Elicited by Autogenic Training in Patients with Functional Somatic Syndromes

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to discuss the effect of autogenic training (AT) on patients with functional somatic syndrome (FSS) using salivary amylase, the skin temperature of the finger, subjective severity of symptoms, and psychological characteristics as measures. We assessed 20 patients with FSS and 23 healthy controls before and after AT. Baseline levels of salivary amylase prior to an AT session were significantly higher in the FSS group than in the control group. However, this difference was not significant after AT. The skin temperature of the finger increased after AT in both the FSS and control groups. AT contributed to the improvement of somatic symptoms in patients with FSS. Our results regarding psychological characteristics suggest that mood disturbances are deeply involved in the pathology of FSS. Individuals with FSS exhibited elevated levels of sympathetic activity compared with healthy controls. Our data indicates that AT eased dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system in patients with FSS. Thus, salivary amylase may be a useful index of change induced by AT in patients with FSS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1 Shinmachi, Hirakata-shi, Osaka, Japan

    Tadashi Kiba, Kenji Kanbara, Ikumi Ban, Fumie Kato, Sadanobu Kawashima, Yukie Saka, Kazumi Yamamoto, Junji Nishiyama, Yasuyuki Mizuno, Tetsuya Abe & Mikihiko Fukunaga

  2. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Nishi Kyoto Hospital, 24 Goryo Mizoura-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Kazumi Yamamoto

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  1. Tadashi Kiba
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  2. Kenji Kanbara
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  3. Ikumi Ban
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  9. Yasuyuki Mizuno
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  10. Tetsuya Abe
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  11. Mikihiko Fukunaga
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Correspondence to Tadashi Kiba.

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Kiba, T., Kanbara, K., Ban, I. et al. Saliva Amylase as a Measure of Sympathetic Change Elicited by Autogenic Training in Patients with Functional Somatic Syndromes. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 40, 339–347 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-015-9303-z

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