Effect ofstress on oesophageal motorfunction in normal subjects andinpatients withtheirritable bowel syndrome

SUMMARY Stress canmodulate themotorfunction ofthestomach, small bowel, andcolon inhealthy subjects, andofthesmall bowelandcolon inpatients withtheirritable bowelsyndrome (IBS). The effect ofstress onoesophageal motility ineight healthy subjects andineight IBSpatients wasstudied, using twopressuretransducers positioned justabovetheloweroesophageal sphincter and5 cm proximally. Stressors were:avideo arcade game, delayed audiofeedback, andhandimmersion in coldwater. Eachstress period was followed byfive swallows ofwater. Frequency andamplitude of oesophageal contractions andthenumberofsimultaneous andmultipeaked contractions were manually counted foreachstress period andcompared tothepreceding restperiod. Frequency of contractions (perminute) tended todecrease during stress periods, butachieved significance only withthevideo arcade game inthecontrol group(2-0 (0-6) v1-2(04); p<001). Noother trend was evident ineither control or IBSpatients. Noabnormalities ofoesophageal bodyfunction were recorded inIBSpatients either inbasal conditions, orunderstress. Unlike themore complex motor programmes elsewhere inthegut,thepreprogrammed natureofoesophageal peristalsis isnot modulated bystress.