Psychological Stress and Gastric Emptying in Normal Subjects

Gastric emptying half-time was measured in 10 healthy volunteers on two different occasions over a one-week interval, with an identical test meal. The first was the control evaluation, and at the second assessment, psychological stress was induced by the technique of dichotomous listening. Psychological and physiological parameters were assessed before and during the test period. No significant or consistent modifications of gastric-emptying time were induced by the stress procedure. Looking at individual subjects instead of mean values, gastric emptying was unchanged in 5 subjects, slower in 3, and faster in the remaining 2. These 3 groups had different mean values on two subscales of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire.