40.5 THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE BRAIN: THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF SENSORY PROCESSING SENSITIVITY

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a temperament trait found in around 20% of humans, which has been found to enhance responsiveness to diverse stimuli. In this study, we investigated for the first time the extent to which SPS, and its interaction with quality of parenting, predicts positive and negative experiences in response to emotional stimuli. Participants (N = 96) from the upper and lower quartiles on the standard SPS measure (the Highly Sensitive Person Scale) rated the valence and their arousal level when viewing emotionally evocative and neutral pictures selected from the International Affective Picture System. High (vs. low) SPS individuals rated pictures eliciting emotion, and especially positive ones, as significantly more valenced, and tended to respond faster to the positive pictures; also, high, vs. low, SPS individuals who had reported having high-quality parenting reported greater arousal in response to positive pictures. Overall, results suggest that high SPS individuals respond more strongly to emotional stimuli—especially positive—without being more aroused unless they had especially high-quality parenting.

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Higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion and ectomorphism: New biomarkers for human creativity in developing rural areas

Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice ◽

10.4103/0976-3147.98314 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 03 (02) ◽

pp. 159-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Carlos V Rizzo-Sierra ◽

Martha E Leon-S ◽

Fidias E Leon-Sarmiento

Keyword(s):

Sensory Processing ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Sensory Information ◽

Neural Connectivity ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Human Creativity ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity ◽

New Biomarkers

ABSTRACTThe highly sensitive trait present in animals, has also been proposed as a human neurobiological trait. People having such trait can process larger amounts of sensory information than usual, making it an excellent attribute that allows to pick up subtle environmental details and cues. Furthermore, this trait correlates to some sort of giftedness such as higher perception, inventiveness, imagination and creativity. We present evidences that support the existance of key neural connectivity between the mentioned trait, higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion, ectomorphism and creativity. The neurobiological and behavioral implications that these biomarkers have in people living in developing rural areas are discussed as well.

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How do highly sensitive persons parent their adolescent children? The role of sensory processing sensitivity in parenting practices

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407520911101 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 1825-1842

Author(s):

Alon Goldberg ◽

Miri Scharf

Keyword(s):

Sensory Processing ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Positive Parenting ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Self Report ◽

Harsh Parenting ◽

Parenting Interventions ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity

This research examines whether sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) in parents is associated with their parenting practices toward their adolescent children and whether attachment insecurity mediates the associations between SPS and parenting practices. One hundred twenty-one parent–adolescent dyads completed self-report questionnaires assessing parents’ SPS, parents’ adult attachment, and parenting practices. Results showed that SPS was positively associated with inconsistency, psychological intrusiveness, and attachment anxiety. Further, attachment anxiety mediated the association between parents’ SPS and harsh parenting and partially mediated the association between parents’ SPS and parental psychological intrusiveness. There is very little research on how highly sensitive individuals parent their children in general and none regarding the parenting of high-SPS individuals during challenging developmental periods such as their children’s adolescence. Findings suggest that parents high in SPS may experience this period as especially stressful and high SPS might contribute to the use of negative parenting. Interventions focused on regulating high-SPS parents’ stress and on facilitating parents in practicing separating their own and their children’s emotions could promote their use of more positive parenting practices.

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Localizing sensory processing sensitivity and its subdomains within its relevant trait space: a data-driven approach

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-99686-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Taraneh Attary ◽

Ali Ghazizadeh

Keyword(s):

Big Five ◽

Sensory Processing ◽

Data Driven ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Sensory Threshold ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Data Driven Approach ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity ◽

Using Data ◽

Positive Traits

AbstractSensitivity arising from enhanced processing of external and internal stimuli or sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is known to be present in a sizable portion of the population. Yet a clear localization of SPS and its subdomains with respect to other relevant traits is currently lacking. Here, we used a data-driven approach including hierarchical clustering, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and graph learning to portrait SPS as measured by Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) in relation to the Big-Five Inventory (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) as well as to shyness, alexithymia, autism quotient, anxiety, and depression (11 total traits) using data from more than 800 participants. Analysis revealed SPS subdomains to be divided between two trait clusters with questions related to aesthetic sensitivity (AES) falling within a cluster of mainly positive traits and neighbored by openness while questions addressing ease of excitation (EOE) and low sensory threshold (LST) to be mostly contained within a cluster of negative traits and neighbored by neuroticism. A similar spread across clusters was seen for questions addressing autism consistent with it being a spectrum disorder, in contrast, alexithymia subdomains were closely fit within the negative cluster. Together, our results support the view of SPS as a distinct yet non-unitary trait and provide insights for further refinements of the current SPS concept and scales.

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Small shifts, big changes: changing the story for students with Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS)

International Journal for Transformative Research ◽

10.1515/ijtr-2016-0010 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 24-31

Author(s):

Kaaryn Cater

Keyword(s):

Sensory Processing ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Metacognitive Strategies ◽

Tertiary Level ◽

Student Behaviour ◽

Life Long Learning ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity ◽

Key Indicators ◽

Tertiary Study

Abstract It is my privilege to work as a tertiary learning advisor (TLA). Through my role I have had the opportunity to form unique relationships with students during individual consultations. This has enabled me to observe student behaviour, and the metacognitive strategies students use to negotiate the myriad challenges of tertiary study. I noticed trends in student behaviour that did not fit current literature on teaching and learning, and identified possible links between the observed student feelings of overwhelm, and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) and highly sensitive people (HSP), the term used to describe humans with SPS. This paper examines the transformative journey I took in identifying the key indicators of SPS, firstly in myself, and then in my students. My burgeoning knowledge and reflection on and in my own practice provided self-scaffolding that enabled me to recognise and share the markers of SPS. My study ‘Does an understanding of HSP help students who identify as Highly Sensitive People (HSP) to manage their learning?’ found that HSP students unanimously rate the knowledge of SPS to be life-changing and empowering in managing life and study. All participants also believed that information about SPS should be made available to all in-coming students, and that tutors should be given training and resources in order to better support HSP students. Of significance, it also found that tertiary students with SPS have often already developed useful metacognitive strategies for independent and life-long learning by the time they reach tertiary level education.

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Comparing Neural Correlates of High Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3002629 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Alessandra Suuberg

Keyword(s):

Sensory Processing ◽

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity

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Betrayed by the nervous system: a comparison group study to investigate the ‘unsafe world’ model of selective mutism

Journal of Neural Transmission ◽

10.1007/s00702-021-02404-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Siebke Melfsen ◽

Marcel Romanos ◽

Thomas Jans ◽

Susanne Walitza

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Sensory Processing ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Selective Mutism ◽

World Model ◽

System A ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Dissociative Experience Scale ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity

Abstract The study presented in the following verifies some assumptions of the novel ‘unsafe world’ model of selective mutism (SM). According to this model, SM is a stress reaction to situations erroneously experienced via cognition without awareness as ‘unsafe’. It assumes a high sensitivity to unsafety, whereby the nervous system triggers dissociation or freeze mode at relatively low thresholds. We examine whether there is a correlation between SM, sensory-processing sensitivity and dissociation. We compared a sample of 28 children and adolescents with SM (mean age 12.66 years; 18 females) to 33 controls without SM (mean age 12.45 years; 21 females). Both groups were compared using a medical history sheet, the ‘Selective Mutism Questionnaire’ (SMQ), a ‘Checklist for Speaking Behaviour’ (CheckS), the ‘Highly Sensitive Person Scale’ (HSPS), the ‘Child Dissociative Checklist’ (CDC), the ‘Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale’ (A-DES) and the ‘Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children’ (SPAIK). Appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests were conducted to examine differences between groups. The results indicate that sensory-processing sensitivity was significantly higher in the group of children and adolescents with SM [X2(1) = 7.224, p = 0.0007; d = 1.092]. Furthermore, dissociative symptoms were more common in children and adolescents with SM than in controls [F(1, 33) = 13.004, p = 0.001; d = 0.986]. The results indicate that sensory-processing sensitivity and dissociation are important factors of SM that may hold important implications for the treatment. Trial Registration This study is registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT04233905.

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Highly sensitive persons, caregiving strategies and humour: the case of Italian and Israeli medical clowns

European Journal of Humour Research ◽

10.7592/ejhr2019.7.4.dionigi ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alberto Dionigi ◽

Alon Goldberg

Keyword(s):

Sensory Processing ◽

The Self ◽

Healthcare Practitioner ◽

Demographic Questionnaire ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Medical Clown ◽

Sensory Processing Sensitivity ◽

General Populations ◽

Sensitive Person

The medical clown is a healthcare practitioner whose character is strictly associated with the performer’s own personality. In this study, the relationships between level of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), caregiving strategies and humour in Italian and Israeli clowns were compared. Participants were 159 medical clowns (97 Italian and 62 Israeli), ranging from 22 to 74 years of age, who completed a demographic questionnaire, the self-reported Highly Sensitive Person Scale, the Caregiving Strategies Scale and the BenCor. Results showed that higher SPS was related to higher hyperactivation and deactivation, and that hyperactivation was related to lower benevolent humour and greater corrective humour. Hyperactivation negatively predicts benevolent humour but positively predicts corrective humour, beyond the effect of SPS. Deactivation had no relationship to either benevolent or corrective humour. The results are also discussed in reference to differences between the two groups and to previous studies conducted with general populations.

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