Psychosomatic disorders in animals: Interplay of affect, cognition, and reflex regulation
Abstract
Psychosomatic disorders represent a complex category of conditions characterized by the interaction between psych o logical processes and somatic functions in animals. Unlike traditional disease models that separate mental and physical health, the psychosomatic approach involves the recognition of dynamic regulations across cognitive, emotional, autonomic, and physiological systems. This review summarizes contemporary knowledge on the definition, classification, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of psychosomatic disorders in animals in veterinary contexts. Emphasis is placed on how cognitive processes (such as learning, expectations, and perceptions), affective states (including chronic fear, frustration, or social deprivation), and reflexive mechanisms (e.g., autonomic reactivity and visceral responses) interact to produce and sustain pathological outcomes. Biological risk factors, such as neuroendocrine dysregulation, immune dysfunction, and neural interruption, are examined alongside environmental, social, and developmental contributors. The review also explores species-specific diagnostic challenges and current assessment tools, including behavioral scoring systems, salivary cortisol level, thermography, and heart rate variability. Therapeutic approaches are discussed in terms of providing environmental enrichment, behavioral modification, pharmacological treatment, and integrative clinical models grounded in behavior and welfare science. Interdisciplinary approaches including affective neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, and ethology are proposed as essential for advancing both the scientific understanding, prevention and clinical management of these disorders. This work highlights the importance of understanding psychosomatic disorders not merely as isolated clinical conditions, but as complex physiological phenomena shaped by the animal’s emotional, cognitive, and environmental experiences.References
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