Abstract
BackgroundSome individuals who suffer from obsessive–compulsive (OC) disorder (OCD), report disturbing sensory preoccupations. The inability to stop obsessing over stimuli resonates with a difficulty in sensory habituation. Impaired sensory habituation, to a degree that clearly dysregulates response to sensory stimuli, and impairs participation in everyday activities, can be part of a disorder known as sensory over-responsivity (SOR). Although previous studies indicated a correlation between OCD and SOR, physiological experiments show that individuals with OCD are not more sensitive to sensory stimuli than controls. In the current study, we (1) validated a sensory habituation psycho-physiological protocol and (2) tested whether a “slow to habituate” mechanism can explain the occurrence of elevated SOR and OC symptoms.MethodsWe designed a protocol to test auditory sensory habituation through electrodermal activity (EDA) recording. The protocol included two randomly ordered aversive and neutral sound conditions; each set of six everyday life sounds was presented as a continuous stimulus. During the presentation of sounds, EDA was measured and participants could press a button to shorten the stimuli. Participants also completed sensory and OC symptom questionnaires. Participants included 100 typically developing adults that were divided into high versus low OC symptom groups. Mixed models analysis was used throughout to meet the need for capturing the temporal nature of habituation.ResultsDistinct physiological indices were computed to measure sensitivity versus habituation. Habituation was slower in the aversive versus neutral condition. Sensitivity was higher for the aversive stimuli. Self-report of sensory habituation and sensitivity partially correlated with the physiological habituation indices. A comparison of the physiological pattern between those with high versus low OC symptoms revealed significant differences in the habituation and sensitivity indices, across conditions.ConclusionThe interplay between SOR and OC symptoms can be explained by a “slow to habituate” mechanism. Identifying behavioral and physiological markers of sensory problems in OCD is important for assessment, intervention and the discovery of underlying mechanisms.
Highlights
Sensory abnormalities in obsessive–compulsive (OC) disorder (OCD) have received less attention in the OCD literature than cognitive aspects
Audition is the most commonly reported bothersome modality among individuals with sensory over-responsivity (SOR) (Royeen and Fortune, 1990; Ben-Sasson et al, 2009). Other sensory modalities, such as tactile and olfactory, were found to be involved in OCD (e.g., Güçlü et al, 2015), our study focused on the auditory modality because it is often observed in OCD (Buhlmann et al, 2007; Buse and Roessner, 2016) and it is feasible to quantify in an experimental design
Results show that for sensitivity, sensitivity level was different in each stimulus type, relative to the first stimulus which was presented
Summary
Sensory abnormalities in obsessive–compulsive (OC) disorder (OCD) have received less attention in the OCD literature than cognitive aspects. Descriptions, reports, and studies about sensory abnormalities in OCD have increased only recently (Grimaldi and Stern, 2017). The current investigation explores two potential mechanisms, atypical sensitization and habituation, that can explain the high rates of SOR in OCD. Some individuals who suffer from obsessive–compulsive (OC) disorder (OCD), report disturbing sensory preoccupations. Previous studies indicated a correlation between OCD and SOR, physiological experiments show that individuals with OCD are not more sensitive to sensory stimuli than controls. We (1) validated a sensory habituation psycho-physiological protocol and (2) tested whether a “slow to habituate” mechanism can explain the occurrence of elevated SOR and OC symptoms
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