Behavioural, autonomic, and neural responsivity in depersonalisation-derealisation disorder: A systematic review of experimental evidence.

Neurosci Biobehav Rev

Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Published: August 2024

Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder (DDD) is characterised by distressing experiences of separation from oneself and/or one's surroundings, potentially resulting from alterations in affective, cognitive, and physiological functions. This systematic review aimed to synthesise current experimental evidence of relevance to proposed mechanisms underlying DDD, to appraise existing theoretical models, and to inform future research and theoretical developments. Studies were included if they tested explicit hypotheses in DDD samples, with experimental manipulations of at least one independent variable, alongside behavioural, subjective, neurological, affective and/or physiological dependent variables. Some evidence for diminished subjective responsivity to aversive images and sounds, and hyperactivation in neurocircuits associated with emotional regulation when viewing aversive images emerged, corroborating neurobiological models of DDD. Inconsistencies were present regarding behavioural and autonomic responsivity to facial expressions, emotional memory, and self-referential processing. Common confounds included small sample sizes, medication, and comorbidities. Alterations in affective reactivity and regulation appear to be present in DDD; however, further research employing more rigorous research designs is required to provide stronger evidence for these possible mechanisms.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105783DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

behavioural autonomic
8
depersonalisation-derealisation disorder
8
systematic review
8
experimental evidence
8
alterations affective
8
aversive images
8
ddd
5
autonomic neural
4
neural responsivity
4
responsivity depersonalisation-derealisation
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!