New Advances in Misophonia Research

"In one of these presentations, Professor Svetlana Shinkareva from the University of South Carolina presented fascinating new results identifying the brain regions that are overactive when misophonia sufferers are exposed to trigger sounds. Her research further showed that similar physiological reactions (like pupil changes and skin conductance) are elicited whether people are listening to trigger sounds, watching silent videos of trigger sounds, or simply imagining trigger sounds."

"As part of this forum, I had the opportunity to share some of my own lab's recent work showing that visual perception can modulate misophonic reactions. When exposed to a trigger sound (like someone chewing), a person's negative reactions can be significantly reduced by simultaneously watching a video that presents an alternative, non-triggering source of the sound (like someone tearing a piece of paper)."

"By sharing research findings in a public forum, clinicians and misophonia sufferers alike can capitalize on the findings to inform their own practices and treatment. For example, some clinical groups have started showing videos from the Sound Swapped Video Database to patients as a potential tool to practice psychological distancing from trigger sounds. Likewise, misophonia sufferers can use these videos on their own to practice reappraisal techniques even outside the clinical setting."

Overactive brain regions are identified when misophonia sufferers are exposed to trigger sounds, and similar physiological reactions such as pupil changes and increased skin conductance occur during listening, watching silent trigger videos, or imagining triggers. Attention, expectations, beliefs, and imagination meaningfully influence responses to sounds, indicating that mental processes contribute to misophonic reactivity. Visual perception can modulate misophonic reactions: pairing a trigger sound with a video showing a non-trigger source reduces negative responses. An open-access Sound-Swapped Video Database provides stimuli for researchers, clinicians, and individuals to practice reappraisal and psychological distancing as potential therapeutic tools.

Read at Psychology Today