Trypophobia: Heart rate, heart rate variability and cortical haemodynamic response

•The Trypophobia Questionnaire provides a useful segregation of individuals with and without an aversion to images of clusters of holes.•Objective physiological correlates of the aversion are demonstrated.•The correlates occur in response only to trypophobic images and only in trypophobic individual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of affective disorders 2020-09, Vol.274, p.1147-1151
Main Authors: Le, An, Cole, Geoff G., Wilkins, Arnold
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Cardiovascular reactivity
Haemodynamic response
Heart Rate
Humans
Neurovascular Coupling
Phobia
Phobic Disorders - diagnostic imaging
Surveys and Questionnaires
Visual discomfort
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Summary:•The Trypophobia Questionnaire provides a useful segregation of individuals with and without an aversion to images of clusters of holes.•Objective physiological correlates of the aversion are demonstrated.•The correlates occur in response only to trypophobic images and only in trypophobic individuals Trypophobia is a common condition in which sufferers are averse to images of small holes arranged in clusters. We used photo-plethysmography to examine cardiovascular correlates and near infrared spectroscopy to examine cortical correlates of the phenomenon in order to validate the Trypophobia Questionnaire and explore the several interlinked explanations of the disorder. Trypophobic images were found to increase both heart rate and heart rate variability, but only in individuals with high scores on the Trypophobia Questionnaire. Trypophobic images were also found to elicit larger haemodynamic responses in posterior cortical areas, but again only in individuals with high scores. The results are consistent with a contribution from both parasympathetic and sympathetic systems. The data demonstrate the validity of the Trypophobia Questionnaire and show an involvement not only of the autonomic system but cortical mechanisms including cortical hyperexcitability.
ISSN:0165-0327
1573-2517
DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.002