Schedule of Events | Symposia

Attention modulates sound-generated negative emotions and their neural correlates: insights from misophonia

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Marie-Anick Savard¹, Mickael Deroche¹, Emily Coffey¹; ¹Concordia University

Misophonia is a condition characterized by strong negative emotional responses to specific trigger sounds. Although prior research has identified the involvement of higher-level cognitive processes in misophonia, their role in modulating these responses remains insufficiently explored. Reports from individuals with misophonia indicate that coping strategies, such as listening to music or focusing on alternative activities, may mitigate distress by engaging attentional networks and executive functions. These observations suggest that attentional mechanisms play a crucial role in managing misophonic reactions, offering a promising avenue for further investigation into the condition’s neural underpinnings. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate brain activity during an auditory selective attention task in individuals with and without misophonia. Participants with (N=50) and without (N=50) misophonia listened to two simultaneous auditory streams presented through ear inserts: one comprising trigger or neutral sounds, and the other unfamiliar instrumental musical excerpts. Participants were instructed to selectively attend to one stream (sound or music) during each trial. Comparisons between the groups reveal differential patterns of brain activity associated with selective attention to neutral and misophonic trigger sounds. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that attentional control - a higher-level cognitive process that can be improved with training - can reduce hyperactivation of limbic networks in people suffering from misophonia. This work could inform interventions aimed at reducing misophonic distress, ultimately improving quality of life for those affected.

Topic Area: ATTENTION: Auditory