The highly sensitive brain: an fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others' emotions

被引:201
作者
Acevedo, Bianca P. [1 ]
Aron, Elaine N. [2 ]
Aron, Arthur [2 ]
Sangster, Matthew-Donald [3 ]
Collins, Nancy [1 ]
Brown, Lucy L. [4 ]
机构
[1] Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Dept Psychol & Brain Sci, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
[2] SUNY Stony Brook, Dept Psychol, New York, NY USA
[3] Monmouth Univ, Monmouth Jct, NJ USA
[4] Albert Einstein Coll Med, Dept Neurol, Bronx, NY 10467 USA
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
Emotion; empathy; highly sensitive person; magnetic resonance imaging; mirror neurons; sensory processing sensitivity; MIRROR-NEURON SYSTEM; INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES; DIFFERENTIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY; QUANTITATIVE METAANALYSIS; ANTERIOR INSULA; CORTEX; STRESS; EXPERIENCES; ENVIRONMENT; SEROTONIN;
D O I
10.1002/brb3.242
中图分类号
B84 [心理学]; C [社会科学总论]; Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 030303 ; 04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Background: Theory and research suggest that sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), found in roughly 20% of humans and over 100 other species, is a trait associated with greater sensitivity and responsiveness to the environment and to social stimuli. Self-report studies have shown that high-SPS individuals are strongly affected by others' moods, but no previous study has examined neural systems engaged in response to others' emotions. Methods: This study examined the neural correlates of SPS (measured by the standard short-form Highly Sensitive Person [HSP] scale) among 18 participants (10 females) while viewing photos of their romantic partners and of strangers displaying positive, negative, or neutral facial expressions. One year apart, 13 of the 18 participants were scanned twice. Results: Across all conditions, HSP scores were associated with increased brain activation of regions involved in attention and action planning (in the cingulate and premotor area [PMA]). For happy and sad photo conditions, SPS was associated with activation of brain regions involved in awareness, integration of sensory information, empathy, and action planning (e.g., cingulate, insula, inferior frontal gyrus [IFG], middle temporal gyrus [MTG], and PMA). Conclusions: As predicted, for partner images and for happy facial photos, HSP scores were associated with stronger activation of brain regions involved in awareness, empathy, and self-other processing. These results provide evidence that awareness and responsiveness are fundamental features of SPS, and show how the brain may mediate these traits.
引用
收藏
页码:580 / 594
页数:15
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