OBJECTIVES: Misophonia is a highly prevalent yet understudied condition characterized by aversion toward particular environmental sounds. Oral/nasal sounds (e.g., chewing, breathing) have been the focus of research, but variable experiences warrant an objective investigation. Experiment 1 asked whether human-produced oral/nasal sounds were more aversive than human-produced nonoral/nasal sounds and non-human/nature sounds. Experiment 2 additionally asked whether machine-learning algorithms could predict the presence and severity of misophonia. METHOD: Sounds were presented to individuals with misophonia (Exp.1: N = 48, Exp.2: N = 45) and members of the general population (Exp.1: N = 39, Exp.2: N = 61). Aversiveness ratings to each sound were self-reported. RESULTS: Sounds from all three source categories-not just oral/nasal sounds-were rated as significantly more aversive to individuals with misophonia than controls. Further, modeling all sources classified misophonia with 89% accuracy and significantly predicted misophonia severity (r = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Misophonia should be conceptualized as more than an aversion to oral/nasal sounds, which has implications for future diagnostics and experimental consistency moving forward.
OBJECTIVES: Misophonia is a highly prevalent yet understudied condition characterized by aversion toward particular environmental sounds. Oral/nasal sounds (e.g., chewing, breathing) have been the focus of research, but variable experiences warrant an objective investigation. Experiment 1 asked whether human-produced oral/nasal sounds were more aversive than human-produced nonoral/nasal sounds and non-human/nature sounds. Experiment 2 additionally asked whether machine-learning algorithms could predict the presence and severity of misophonia. METHOD: Sounds were presented to individuals with misophonia (Exp.1: N = 48, Exp.2: N = 45) and members of the general population (Exp.1: N = 39, Exp.2: N = 61). Aversiveness ratings to each sound were self-reported. RESULTS: Sounds from all three source categories-not just oral/nasal sounds-were rated as significantly more aversive to individuals with misophonia than controls. Further, modeling all sources classified misophonia with 89% accuracy and significantly predicted misophonia severity (r = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Misophonia should be conceptualized as more than an aversion to oral/nasal sounds, which has implications for future diagnostics and experimental consistency moving forward.
Authors: Susan E Swedo; David M Baguley; Damiaan Denys; Laura J Dixon; Mercede Erfanian; Alessandra Fioretti; Pawel J Jastreboff; Sukhbinder Kumar; M Zachary Rosenthal; Romke Rouw; Daniela Schiller; Julia Simner; Eric A Storch; Steven Taylor; Kathy R Vander Werff; Cara M Altimus; Sylvina M Raver Journal: Front Neurosci Date: 2022-03-17 Impact factor: 4.677
Authors: Andrada D Neacsiu; Victoria Szymkiewicz; Jeffrey T Galla; Brenden Li; Yashaswini Kulkarni; Cade W Spector Journal: Front Neurosci Date: 2022-07-25 Impact factor: 5.152