The Neural Correlates of Sensory Processing Sensitivity : a Systematic Review

Sammanfattning: Sensory processing sensitivity is an innate temperament trait characterized by deeper cognitive processing of stimuli, increased empathy and emotionality, ease of overstimulation, and heightened awareness of subtileties in the environment. This systematic review aims to review the literature that has investigated the neural correlates of sensory processing sensitivity. A systematic search was conducted in Web of Science and Scopus resulting in seven studies included in systematic review. Five studies are functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, one magnetic resonance imaging study and one near-infrared spectroscopy study. Results show that sensory processing sensitivity is associated with enhanced activation of neural regions involved in higher order visual processing, attention, awareness, memory, emotion processing, action planning and information integration (e.g., insula, precuneus, IFG, PFC, claustrum, amygdala, and hippocampus). An increased understanding of this temperament trait is essential as it is an important factor for mental health and well-being.