Influence of Acute Mental Stress on the Frequency and Duration of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Normal Volunteers

Six fasted healthy male volunteers (mean age 21.7 years) were studied. A pH probe was inserted with the tip 5cm proximal to the gastroesophageal junction and recording begun 15 mins after completion of a standard meal. pH was recorded by computerized data logger which sampled every 6s. Subjects were stressed intermittently by a dichotic Listening task in which they attempted to track recorded word Usts heard simultaneously in different ears. …