Figure 1.

Experimental Paradigm and Subjective Ratings

(A) fMRI paradigm: a standard block design was used in which sounds were presented for 15 s. After every sound, subjects gave two ratings on a scale from 1 to 4 with a button press for (1) how annoying the sound was and (2) how effective the sound was in triggering misophonic reaction (misophonia group) or how antisocial the sound was (control group). fMRI data were acquired continuously with a repetition time (TR) of 3.12 s. GSR and HR were also monitored throughout the experiment.

(B) Subjective ratings: (i) misophonic distress rating of three types of sounds by misophonic group; (ii) antisocialness rating of sounds (control subjects); and (iii) annoyance rating of sounds by both groups. Misophonic subjects rated the trigger sounds as evoking greater misophonic reaction compared to unpleasant (p < 0.001) and neutral sounds (p < 0.001). Unpleasant sounds were still perceived to be annoying (p < 0.001 compared to neutral sounds) by the misophonic subjects, demonstrating a dissociation between general annoyance and misophonic reaction. See also Figure S4 for subjective scores on body perception. Data are represented as mean (±SEM).