Apr 08, 2010 by Lin Edwards 
(PhysOrg.com) -- An exploratory study has examined highly sensitive
people and found the first evidence of neural differences between them
and less sensitive people. Most studies have focused on the social
implications of these traits, but the new study concentrates on the
differences in how people's brains respond to stimuli.
Approximately one in five people are born with Sensory
Perception Sensitivity (SPS), a
personality trait
that can lead to people being highly sensitive, and sometimes
inhibited, introverted, shy, or even neurotic. Children with SPS may
seem to be slow to adjust to situations, or may cry easily, have
unusually deep thoughts, or may ask odd questions. Until now, there has
been little study of how the brain's responses may be different in
highly sensitive people.
The study first examined the responses of 16 subjects who each
completed the "highly sensitive person"ť questionnaire, which is used as
a standard measure of SPS, to determine their level of sensitivity. The
researchers then asked the subjects to compare two photographs of the
same scene and to spot any differences, at the same time as their brains
were being scanned by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The results showed that subjects with higher SPS (the more sensitive people) had greater activation in areas of the
brain
concerned with high-order visual processing, including the bilateral
temporal, medial, and posterior parietal regions, right claustrum, and
left occipitotemporal regions, as well as the right cerebellum. Those
with SPS spent longer looking at the photographs and paid more attention
to detail.
The researchers were from Stony Brook University in New York, and
from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Southwest University in China.
They found people with SPS took longer to make decisions, needed more
time alone to think, were more conscientious, and became more bored with
small talk than other people.
Previous studies have shown that people with SPS are also more
affected by caffeine, are more easily startled, and are more
uncomfortable with noise and crowded situations. The researchers said
these effects could be due to an innate preference for paying more
attention to experiences.
Over 100 other species are known to have individuals with the
sensitivity trait, including dogs, fish, primates, and even fruit flies.
Individuals exhibiting the sensitive trait are always in the minority,
but they may give the species an evolutionary advantage at times, since
highly sensitive individuals tend to explore with their brains first,
while others rush in, and this can be advantageous when a more
thoughtful approach is better or less dangerous.
The paper was published in the journal
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience in March.
More information: The trait of sensory processing sensitivity and neural responses to changes in visual scenes,
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci (2010),
doi:10.1093/scan/nsq001
© 2010 PhysOrg.com
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