Symptoms of depersonalisation/derealisation disorder as measured by brain electrical activity: A systematic review

Abstract

Depersonalisation/derealisation disorder (DPD) refers to frequent and persistent detachment from bodily self and disengagement from the outside world. As a dissociative disorder, DPD affects 1-2% of the population, but takes 7-12 years on average to be accurately diagnosed. In this systematic review, we comprehensively describe research targeting the neural correlates of core DPD symptoms, covering publications between 1992 and 2020 that have used electrophysiological techniques. The aim was to investigate the diagnostic potential of these relatively inexpensive and convenient neuroimaging tools. We review the EEG power spectrum, components of the event-related potential (ERP), as well as vestibular and heartbeat evoked potentials as likely electrophysiological biomarkers to study DPD symptoms. We argue that acute anxiety-or trauma-related impairments in the integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals play a key role in the formation of DPD symptoms, and that future research needs analysis methods that can take this integration into account. We suggest tools for prospective studies of electrophysiological DPD biomarkers, which are urgently needed to fully develop their diagnostic potential.

Past and Future Explanations for Depersonalization and Derealization Disorder: A Role for Predictive Coding

“…Surprisingly, those with DDD initially perform better than controls in at least one form of interoceptive accuracy, heartbeat counting tasks ( Michal et al, 2014 ), but with declining performance occurring over time; contrasting with healthy controls, who showed improved heartbeat counting over time. This suggests individuals with DDD struggle with sustaining attention to interoceptive sensations over time, rather than attending to them per se ( Salami et al, 2020 ). However, further examination of this effect is required to determine whether HEP amplitudes become elevated and then decrease over time (reflecting a rapid increase and then gradual decrease in attention to interoceptive signals) in those with DDD during heartbeat counting tasks.…”

Chasing Bodily-Self Ghost: Interoception-Aided Hypnosis in the Treatment for Depersonalization-A Case Study

“…No known medical laboratory test also leads to a prolonged course of correct diagnosis [2]. In addition, only a few clinicians know its prevalence among the populations mentioned above [4].…”

Zoomed out? Depersonalization is Related to Increased Digital Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

“…Transient occurrences of depersonalization episodes have been reported by almost 50 % of college students (Dixon, 1963). DP typically co-occurs with highly traumatic events, or as symptoms of anxiety, panic, and depression (see Salami et al 2020 for a recent discussion). Emotional flatness or numbness, as well as atypical emotional processing are core features of depersonalisation (Medford 2012;Sierra et al, 2012).…”