Author information

1 1 Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie; Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany.

2 2 Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie; Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg, Germany.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Fecal incontinence and constipation are common disorders in childhood. The enteric nervous system and the central nervous system are highly interactive along the brain-gut axis. The interaction is mainly afferent. These afferent pathways include centers that are involved in the central nervous processing of emotions as the mid/posterior insula and the anterior cingulate cortex. A previous study revealed altered processing of emotions in children with fecal incontinence. The present study replicates these results.

METHODS: In order to analyze the processing of emotions, we compared the event-related potentials of 25 children with fecal incontinence and constipation to those of 15 control children during the presentation of positive, negative, and neutral pictures.

RESULTS: Children with fecal incontinence and constipation showed altered processing of emotions, especially in the parietal and central cortical regions.

CONCLUSIONS: The main study results of the previous study were replicated, increasing the certainty and validity of the findings.