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Related Experiment Videos

Differential autonomic nervous system activity in multiple personality disorder.

F W Putnam1, T P Zahn, R M Post

  • 1Unit on Dissociative Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.

Psychiatry Research
|March 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Multiple personality disorder (MPD) involves distinct alter personality states with physiological differences. Research found autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity varied between states in MPD patients, with some differences also seen in controls.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry and Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Autonomic Nervous System Research

Background:

  • Multiple personality disorder (MPD), now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), is characterized by the presence of multiple distinct personality states.
  • Clinical observations suggest that these alter personality states may exhibit unique physiological profiles.
  • Understanding these physiological differences is crucial for diagnosis and treatment of MPD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity between distinct alter personality states in individuals with MPD.
  • To examine whether simulated or hypnotically induced personality states in controls show similar physiological distinctions.
  • To assess potential carryover effects of ANS activity between states.

Main Methods:

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  • Studied nine subjects diagnosed with MPD and five healthy controls.
  • Induced alter personality states through simulation, hypnosis, or deep relaxation.
  • Measured and compared autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity across different states using a habituation paradigm.

Main Results:

  • Eight out of nine MPD subjects displayed consistently distinct physiological profiles in their alter personality states.
  • Three out of five controls also exhibited distinct physiological states, but these differed from those observed in MPD subjects.
  • A habituation paradigm revealed ANS carryover effects between consecutive states in both MPD patients and controls.

Conclusions:

  • Physiologically distinct alter personality states are a consistent feature in individuals with MPD.
  • While controls can exhibit physiological state differences, they are distinct from those seen in MPD.
  • ANS activity shows state-dependent patterns and carryover effects, relevant to understanding dissociative phenomena.