The relationship of cognitively induced anxiety and hand temperature reduction

doi:10.1016/0022-3999(80)90034-3

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Volume 24, Issues 3–4, 1980, Pages 131-136

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(80)90034-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

The relationship between cognitively induced anxiety and hand temperature reduction in a nonclinical sample is explored. Forty female college students were randomly assigned to either an Anxiety Group or a Pleasant Group. Following a baseline period, individuals in the Anxiety Group discussed topics, in a time-controlled setting, which were anxiety-producing for them. Individuals in the Pleasant Group discussed topics of a pleasant nature. During these discussions, hand temperatures were recorded from the palmar surface of the third finger on the dominant hand. Data analysis indicated that hand temperature decreases were significant only in subjects discussing anxiety-producing topics.

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A growing body of research has shown that a unilateral alteration in the sense of limb ownership is associated with the cooling of a limb's temperature. However, the recent emergence of contradictory results calls into question the existence of a relationship between this physiological reaction and the sense of body ownership. In the light of evidence that the malleability of the sense of hand ownership differs based on the preferential motor use of the hand to which the illusion is applied, one might observe the same lateralised pattern in the skin temperature cooling. In particular, if skin temperature change is a signature of body ownership, we expected a stronger illusion and reduction in skin temperature when altering ownership alteration of the left hand compared to the right hand in dextral individuals. To test this hypothesis, we selectively perturbated body ownership of the left or right hand in 24 healthy participants in different experimental sessions using the Mirror-Box Illusion (MBI) paradigm. Participants were asked to tap synchronously or asynchronously at a constant rhythm with their left and right index fingers against two parallel mirrors while looking at their reflected right/left hand. Skin temperature was measured before and after each MBI application, and explicit judgments of ownership and proprioceptive drift were collected. The results showed a consistent cooling of the hand's temperature only when the illusion was performed on the left hand. Proprioceptive drift exhibited the same pattern. In contrast, the explicit judgment of ownership of the reflected hand was similar across the two hands. These data provide evidence in favor of a specific laterality effect of the physiological response to an induced alteration of body part ownership. Moreover, they highlight the possibility of a direct link between proprioception and skin temperature.
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Citation Excerpt :
Participants indicated their level of agreement with this statement on a seven-point Likert scale, from +3 (completely agree) to −3 (completely disagree). To exclude participants with anxiety disorders that might have influenced body temperature (Butschek & Miller, 1980; Crawford et al., 1977), we also tested anxiety levels using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Spielberger and Gorsuch, 1983). The STAI is a psychological inventory based on a four-point Likert scale and consists of 40 self-report questions.
The implicit and explicit awareness of owning a body and its parts is a constant accompaniment in our everyday life and our interaction with the outside world. The way in which we build and maintain a coherent sense of body ownership is not fully understood. It has been postulated that the integration between exteroceptive, interoceptive, and proprioceptive signals may play a fundamental role in the sense of body ownership. For instance, studies on healthy subjects and brain-damaged patients have suggested that alterations in the sense of body ownership are coupled with autonomic signal changes, such as thermoregulatory reactions. However, the available evidence is conflicting, possibly due to shortcomings in the experimental paradigm that previous studies have adopted. In this study, we explore the relationship between body ownership, thermoregulation, and thermal sensitivity through a novel application of the mirror-box illusion paradigm, overcoming some of the limitations of previous studies. We find a bilateral decrease in hand skin temperature, together with reduced thermal sensitivity for warm thermal stimuli following the induction of the illusion of ownership towards the participant's reflected hand. These findings demonstrate the importance of the orchestration of exteroceptive (e.g., visual), autonomic (e.g., body temperature) and proprioceptive (e.g., position and movement of the body) signals in maintaining a coherent sense of body ownership.
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The relationship of cognitively induced anxiety and hand temperature reduction

Abstract

The mechanism of emotional disturbance of bodily functions

New Engl. J. Med.

Affective states and skin temperature: experimental study of subjects with “cold hands” and Raynaud's syndrome

Psychosom. Med.

Cutaneous vascular reactions in Raynaud's disease and in states of hostility, anxiety and depression

Psychosom. Med.

Experimental investigation of the specificity of attitude hypothesis in psychosomatic disease

Psychosom. Med.

Physiological response to the suggestion of attitudes specific for hives and hypertension

Psychosom. Med.