The effect of arousal on auditory threat detection and the relationship to auditory hallucinations

A recent model of a subtype of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) has proposed such experiences may result from increased arousal altering auditory threat perception.

This study considered this theory using undergraduate students who undertook a new experimental paradigm, the Auditory Threat Discrimination Task (ATDT). This examined the effects of arousal on auditory threat perception (Study 1), and its relation to hallucination-proneness (Study 2).

Study 1 (n = 66) found evidence that the high, as compared to low-arousal condition, was associated with a higher level of accurate and false threat detection (as measured by both number of hits and false-alarms). Study 2 addressed some methodological limitations of Study 1 and also found that the high as compared to low-arousal condition, was associated with a higher level of threat detection. Study 2 also found that high hallucination prone participants (n = 20) reported a higher level of perceived threat (as measured by both number of hits and false-alarms), compared to low hallucination prone participants (n = 20).

Overall limitations of the work included use of a non-clinical group. Also the increased arousal induced by the experiment was modest and may not fully represent the processes in operation in clinical participants.

These findings provide some initial evidence that auditory threat detection increases under conditions of arousal, and are consistent with the proposal that some AVHs may result from hypervigilance to auditory threat.