Evidence that subclinical somatoform dissociation is not characterised by heightened awareness of proprioceptive signals

Introduction: It has been suggested that abnormal perceptual processing and somatosensory amplification may be contributory factors to somatoform symptom reporting. A key source of somatosensory information is proprioception, yet the perception and integration of this sense has not been sufficiently investigated in those prone to somatoform disorders. Methods: Subclinical groups of high- and low-scorers on the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire made judgements about the location of their unseen hand following congruent or incongruent visuo-proprioceptive feedback, which was manipulated using a MIRAGE-mediated reality system. Results: No differences were found between groups, with both groups displaying normal proprioceptive accuracy under congruent conditions and equivalent visuo-proprioceptive integration under incongruent conditions. Conclusions: The results suggest that amplification of, or abnormal weighting for, proprioceptive signals is not a contributing factor to somatoform symptom reporting.