Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Structural alterations in the brain associated with sensory processing sensitivity

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Lorna Jakobson¹ (), Amanda McQuarrie¹, Jennifer Kornelsen^1,2, Stephen Smith^1,2; ¹University of Manitoba, ²University of Winnipeg

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait with both positive features (e.g., orienting sensitivity, characterized by heightened sensitivity to subtle cues) and negative features (hypersensitivity to unpleasant stimuli). Previous research has demonstrated unique patterns of brain activity associated with SPS. Here, we examined whether specific features of SPS are also associated with structural differences in the brain. Forty participants (22 women; M = 21.10 years) underwent an anatomical MRI scan after completing self-report measures capturing sensitivity to unpleasant stimulation (Low Sensory Threshold and Ease-of-Excitation subscales of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale; Aron & Aron, 1997) as well as deep processing and sensitivity to subtle cues (Orienting Sensitivity subscale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire; Evans & Rothbart, 2007). Sensitivity to unpleasant stimulation (a negative aspect of SPS) was associated with hypergyrification in the right superior parietal gyrus and the right pars triangularis. In contrast, heightened orienting sensitivity (a positive aspect of SPS) was associated with (a) decreased gyrification in the left precentral gyrus, (b) decreased complexity in the left postcentral gyri as well as in the left superior parietal cortex; and (c) increased complexity in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus. These structural differences may underlie risk factors for common mental disorders such as anxiety (related to sensory integration, cognitive control of attention, intolerance of uncertainty) in those with SPS. However, they may also underlie factors that bolster resiliency (e.g., the use of cognitive reappraisal) that are specifically associated with the more positive features of this personality trait.

Topic Area: METHODS: Neuroimaging