Cenesthopathy and Subjective Cognitive Complaints: An Exploratory Study in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Background/Aims: Cenesthopathy is mainly associated with schizophrenia; however, its neurobiological basis is nowadays unclear. The general objective was to explore clinical correlates of cenesthopathy and subjective cognitive complaints in schizophrenia. Methods: Participants (n = 30) meeting DSM-IV criteria for psychotic disorder were recruited from a psychiatry unit and assessed with: Association for Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry (AMDP) system, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Frankfurt Complaint Questionnaire (FCQ), and the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms (BSABS). For quantitative variables, means and Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated. Linear regression following backward method and principal component analysis with varimax rotation were used. Results: 83.3% of subjects (73.3% male, mean age, 31.5 years) presented any type of cenesthopathy; all types of cenesthetic basic symptoms were found. Cenesthetic basic symptoms significantly correlated with the AMDP category “fear and anancasm,” FCQ total score, and BSABS cognitive thought disturbances. In the regression analysis only 1 predictor, cognitive thought disturbances, entered the model. In the principal component analysis, a main component which accounted for 22.69% of the variance was found. Conclusions: Cenesthopathy, as assessed with the Bonn Scale (BSABS), is mainly associated with cog­nitive abnormalities including disturbances of thought initiative and mental intentionality, of receptive speech, and subjective retardation or pressure of thoughts.

A Young Japanese Patient with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 Presenting Depressive State with Cenesthopathy and Delusion: A Case Report

“…Cenesthopathy is strongly associated with schizophrenia [5]. While the link between schizophrenia and cerebellar dysfunction has been noted [6], the role of the cerebellum and brainstem in the pathogenesis of psychotic symptoms (e.g., cenesthopathy and delusions) must be studied further.…”

“…They hypothesized that the constellation of de cits might be due to the disruption of the neural circuits that link the prefrontal, posterior parietal, superior temporal, and limbic cortices with the cerebellum [4]. Moreover, cenesthopathy is strongly associated with schizophrenia [5]. Recently, a link between schizophrenia and cerebellar dysfunction has been identi ed [6], suggesting the possibility of cenesthopathy in patients with SCA3.…”

(Attenuated) hallucinations join basic symptoms in a transdiagnostic network cluster analysis

“…1). Furthermore, perceptual aberrations might involve real stimuli that, despite good perception of these, are perceived as something else entirely, in form of illusions or delusional misperceptions (Telles-Correia et al, 2015), or that are perceived with immediate full insight in only a distorted way, in form of (body) perceptive basic symptoms (Jimeno and Vargas, 2018;Schultze-Lutter, 2009) (Fig. 1).…”

Clinical Lycanthropy, Neurobiology, Culture: A Systematic Review

“…Some cases of clinical lycanthropy may be considered as a cenesthopathy, related to somatosensory aberrations that affect the body scheme (16). According to a study among 30 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (73% males, mean age 31.5), cenesthopathy is associated with cognitive abnormalities: disturbances of thought initiative and mental intentionality, of receptive speech, and subjective retardation or pressure of thoughts (45). In the case of clinical lycanthropy, the theme of the delusion would be secondary to somatic hallucinations, body scheme illusions and/or perceived changes in physical appearance.…”