Body

Elevated autonomic arousal and salience-network engagement in misophonia suggest sustained vigilance that lowers the aversiveness threshold and lets sensory input override cognitive control.

In a 2024 paper, Murphy discussed the role of vigilance in misophonia, noting that prior findings of elevated galvanic skin response, heart rate, and muscle tension to trigger sounds suggest heightened autonomic arousal. Such sustained vigilance may disrupt working memory and daily functioning, and anticipatory alertness to potential triggers may contribute to increased sensitivity and mood disturbance. Neuroimaging studies further indicate altered engagement of the salience network, implying a lowered threshold for stimuli to be perceived as aversive. Behaviorally, this heightened vigilance may allow sensory input to override cognitive control, as observed in Stroop task interference effects. (Murphy et al., 2024)