Functional connectivity associated with five different categories of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) triggers

Abstract

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a sensory-emotional phenomenon in which specific sensory stimuli ("ASMR triggers") reliably elicit feelings of relaxation and tingling sensations on the head, neck, and shoulders. However, there are individual differences in which stimuli elicit ASMR and in the intensity of these responses. In the current research, we used resting-state fMRI to examine the functional connectivity associated with these differences. Fifteen individuals with self-reported ASMR completed the ASMR Checklist, which measures sensitivity to different ASMR triggers, and a resting-state fMRI scan. Checklist scores were entered as covariates to determine whether the functional connectivity of eight resting-state networks differed as a function of participants' sensitivity to five categories of triggers. The results indicated unique patterns of functional connectivity associated with sensitivity to each ASMR trigger category. Sensitivity to two trigger categories was positively correlated with the dorsal attention network, suggesting that ASMR may involve atypical attentional processing.