The presence of others reduces dyspnea and cortical neural processing of respiratory sensations.

Dyspnea is a threatening symptom frequently experienced by patients within social contexts such as in the presence of family members, health professionals, or other patients. However, the effects of social presence on perceived dyspnea remain unknown. Therefore, this study examined the effects of social presence on dyspnea perception and cortical neural processing of respiratory sensations using respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs) in the electroencephalogram while additionally investigating the impact of dyspnea-specific fear. Thirty-one healthy females underwent four experimental conditions while RREPs were induced by inspiratory occlusions: (1)observer present/no dyspnea, (2)observer present/dyspnea, (3)alone/no dyspnea, (4)alone/dyspnea. The observer presence reduced ratings of perceived dyspnea during dyspnea conditions either significantly or at trend level. Additionally, reduced amplitudes at trend level of RREP component P2 in conditions with an observer present were found. No associations with dyspnea-specific fear were found. Findings suggest that social presence might have beneficial effects for individuals experiencing dyspnea.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.