Differences in brain functional connectivity between autonomous sensory meridian response and classical music

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that originates in the occipital region and spreads along the neck and spine, elicited by specific audiovisual stimuli known as ASMR triggers. The characteristics of ASMR-related changes in brain activity relative to other external stimuli, and whether these changes are specific to ASMR, remain unclear. The aim of this study is to compare changes in functional connectivity during exposure to ASMR triggers and classical music, and to clarify the changes in connectivity that are more strongly associated with ASMR trigger listening. Forty-eight healthy adults without a history of psychiatric disorders underwent functional MRI under three conditions: resting state without auditory stimulation, listening to ASMR triggers, and listening to classical music. Functional connectivity during the ASMR and classical-music conditions was assessed relative to the resting state. As a result, functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and the right lateral parietal cortex increased during ASMR trigger listening compared to rest. Relative to classical music listening, ASMR trigger listening increased functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and the right lateral parietal cortex, between the left anterior insula and left supramarginal gyrus, and between the right rostral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. No significant changes in functional connectivity were observed during classical music listening alone. These findings suggest that, compared with classical music listening, ASMR trigger listening is associated with stronger functional connectivity between specific ROI pairs involved in self-referential/internal evaluative processing and sensory integration.