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Updated: Oct 22, 2025
Functional Neuroimaging Using Ultrasonic Blood-brain Barrier Disruption and Manganese-enhanced MRI
Published on: July 12, 2012
White matter abnormalities in misophonia
Nadine Eijsker1, Arjan Schröder1, Luka C Liebrand2
1Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, Amsterdam 1001 NK, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Misophonia is a condition in which specific ordinary sounds provoke disproportionately strong negative affect and physiological arousal. Evidence for neurobiological abnormalities underlying misophonia is scarce. Since many psychiatric disorders show white matter (WM) abnormalities, we tested for both macro and micro-structural WM differences between misophonia patients and healthy controls. We collected T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images from 24 patients and 25 matched controls. We tested for group differences in WM volume using whole-brain voxel-based morphometry and used the significant voxels from this analysis as seeds for probabilistic tractography. After calculation of diffusion tensors, we compared group means for fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and directional diffusivities, and applied tract-based spatial statistics for voxel-wise comparison. Compared to controls, patients had greater left-hemispheric WM volumes in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, and body of the corpus callosum connecting bilateral superior frontal gyri. Patients also had lower averaged radial and mean diffusivities and voxel-wise comparison indicated large and widespread clusters of lower mean diffusivity. We found both macro and microstructural WM abnormalities in our misophonia sample, suggesting misophonia symptomatology is associated with WM alterations. These biological alterations may be related to differences in social-emotional processing, particularly recognition of facial affect, and to attention for affective information.
Insights
This study found that individuals with misophonia (a disorder triggered by specific sounds) exhibit both macro and microstructural white matter (WM) abnormalities. These brain differences may underlie altered social-emotional and attention processing in misophonia patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Misophonia is characterized by strong negative emotional and physiological responses to specific sounds.
- Neurobiological evidence for misophonia is limited, prompting investigation into white matter (WM) integrity.
- WM abnormalities are observed in various psychiatric disorders, suggesting a potential link.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate macro and micro-structural white matter (WM) differences in misophonia patients compared to healthy controls.
- To explore the relationship between WM alterations and misophonia symptomatology.
- To identify potential neurobiological underpinnings of altered social-emotional and attention processing in misophonia.
Main Methods:
- Acquisition of T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI scans from 24 misophonia patients and 25 matched controls.
- Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) for macro-structural WM volume analysis.
- Probabilistic tractography and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics (FA, MD, RD) for micro-structural analysis, including tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS).
Main Results:
- Misophonia patients exhibited greater left-hemispheric WM volumes in specific tracts (Inferior Fronto-Occipital Fasciculus, Anterior Thalamic Radiation, Corpus Callosum).
- Patients showed lower averaged radial and mean diffusivities.
- Widespread clusters of lower mean diffusivity were identified in patients, indicating microstructural alterations.
Conclusions:
- The study identified both macro and microstructural white matter (WM) abnormalities in individuals with misophonia.
- These WM alterations are associated with misophonia symptoms.
- Findings suggest a neurobiological basis for misophonia, potentially impacting social-emotional and attention processing.
