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Schoeller F, Jain A, Pizzagalli DA, Reggente N. The neurobiology of aesthetic chills: How bodily sensations shape emotional experiences. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:617-630. [PMID: 38383913 PMCID: PMC11233292 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01168-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The phenomenon of aesthetic chills-shivers and goosebumps associated with either rewarding or threatening stimuli-offers a unique window into the brain basis of conscious reward because of their universal nature and simultaneous subjective and physical counterparts. Elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying aesthetic chills can reveal fundamental insights about emotion, consciousness, and the embodied mind. What is the precise timing and mechanism of bodily feedback in emotional experience? How are conscious feelings and motivations generated from interoceptive predictions? What is the role of uncertainty and precision signaling in shaping emotions? How does the brain distinguish and balance processing of rewards versus threats? We review neuroimaging evidence and highlight key questions for understanding how bodily sensations shape conscious feelings. This research stands to advance models of brain-body interactions shaping affect and may lead to novel nonpharmacological interventions for disorders of motivation and pleasure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Schoeller
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Abhinandan Jain
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Nicco Reggente
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA
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Adrien V, Bosc N, Peccia Galletto C, Diot T, Claverie D, Reggente N, Trousselard M, Bui E, Baubet T, Schoeller F. Enhancing Agency in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Therapies Through Sensorimotor Technologies. J Med Internet Res 2024; 26:e58390. [PMID: 38742989 PMCID: PMC11250045 DOI: 10.2196/58390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant public health concern, with only a third of patients recovering within a year of treatment. While PTSD often disrupts the sense of body ownership and sense of agency (SA), attention to the SA in trauma has been lacking. This perspective paper explores the loss of the SA in PTSD and its relevance in the development of symptoms. Trauma is viewed as a breakdown of the SA, related to a freeze response, with peritraumatic dissociation increasing the risk of PTSD. Drawing from embodied cognition, we propose an enactive perspective of PTSD, suggesting therapies that restore the SA through direct engagement with the body and environment. We discuss the potential of agency-based therapies and innovative technologies such as gesture sonification, which translates body movements into sounds to enhance the SA. Gesture sonification offers a screen-free, noninvasive approach that could complement existing trauma-focused therapies. We emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and clinical research to further explore these approaches in preventing and treating PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Adrien
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, France
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, Inserm UMR-S 1266, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Department of Psychopathology, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, France
| | - Nicolas Bosc
- Department of Psychopathology, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, France
| | | | - Thomas Diot
- Department of Adult Psychiatry, Impact, Mondor Hospital, AP-HP, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France
| | - Damien Claverie
- Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
| | - Nicco Reggente
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, United States
| | - Marion Trousselard
- Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- INSPIIRE, Inserm UMR 1319, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
- ADES, CNRS UMR 7268, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Eric Bui
- Department of Psychiatry, Caen Normandy University Hospital, Normandie Université, Caen, France
- Physiopathology and Imaging of Neurological Disorders, UNICAEN, Inserm UMR-S 1237, Normandie Université, Caen, France
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Thierry Baubet
- Department of Psychopathology, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, France
- Unité Transversale de Psychogénèse et Psychopathologie, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
- Centre National de Ressources et de Résilience, Lille, France
| | - Félix Schoeller
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, United States
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
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Schoeller F, Jain A, Adrien V, Maes P, Reggente N. Aesthetic chills mitigate maladaptive cognition in depression. BMC Psychiatry 2024; 24:40. [PMID: 38200491 PMCID: PMC10782525 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05476-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is a major global health challenge, affecting over 300 million people worldwide. Current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions have limited efficacy, underscoring the need for novel approaches. Emerging evidence suggests that peak emotional experiences characterized by awe, transcendence, and meaning hold promise for rapidly shifting maladaptive cognitive patterns in depression. Aesthetic chills, a peak positive emotion characterized by physical sensations such as shivers and goosebumps, may influence reward-related neural pathways and hold promise for modifying core maladaptive beliefs rooted in early adverse experiences. METHODS We enrolled 96 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. A validated database of multimedia known to elicit chills responses (ChillsDB) was used for stimulus presentation. Participants' emotional responses were assessed using the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI), while shifts in self-schema were measured via the Young Positive Schema Questionnaire (YSPQ). RESULTS The study found that chill-inducing stimuli have the potential to positively influence the core schema of individuals with depression, impacting areas of self-related beliefs. The associated phenomenology triggered by chills appears to share similarities with the altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelic substances like psilocybin. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggest that the biological processes involved in aesthetic chills could be harnessed as a non-pharmacological intervention for depression. However, further investigation is necessary to comprehensively understand the neurophysiological responses to chills and to evaluate the practicality, effectiveness, and safety of utilizing aesthetic chills as a preventive measure in mental health care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Schoeller
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
| | | | - Vladimir Adrien
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, AP-HP, Avicenne Hospital, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, F-93000, France
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), Université Paris Cité, Inserm UMR-S 1266, Team Membrane Traffic in Healthy & Diseased Brain, Paris, 75014, France
| | - Pattie Maes
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicco Reggente
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA
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Curcio G, Adriani W. Editorial: Insights in consciousness and empathy: 2022. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1298405. [PMID: 37942274 PMCID: PMC10628674 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1298405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Curcio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Walter Adriani
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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