Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2020 May 18;30(6):3644-3654. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhz332.
Hypnosis is the oldest form of Western psychotherapy and a powerful evidence-based treatment for numerous disorders. Hypnotizability is variable between individuals; however, it is a stable trait throughout adulthood, suggesting that neurophysiological factors may underlie hypnotic responsiveness. One brain region of particular interest in functional neuroimaging studies of hypnotizability is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Here, we examined the relationships between the neurochemicals, GABA, and glutamate, in the ACC and hypnotizability in healthy individuals. Participants underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session, whereby T1-weighted anatomical and MEGA-PRESS spectroscopy scans were acquired. Voxel placement over the ACC was guided by a quantitative meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of hypnosis. Hypnotizability was assessed using the Hypnotic Induction Profile (HIP), and self-report questionnaires to assess absorption (TAS), dissociation (DES), and negative affect were completed. ACC GABA concentration was positively associated with HIP scores such that the higher the GABA concentration, the more hypnotizable an individual. An exploratory analysis of questionnaire subscales revealed a negative relationship between glutamate and the absorption and imaginative involvement subscale of the DES. These results provide a putative neurobiological basis for individual differences in hypnotizability and can inform our understanding of treatment response to this growing psychotherapeutic tool.
催眠是西方最古老的心理治疗形式，也是治疗许多疾病的一种强有力的循证治疗方法。催眠易感性因人而异；然而，它是成年期稳定的特征，这表明神经生理因素可能是催眠反应的基础。在前扣带皮层（ACC）的功能神经影像学研究中，一个特别引人关注的大脑区域。在这里，我们研究了健康个体中 ACC 中的神经化学物质 GABA 和谷氨酸与催眠易感性之间的关系。参与者接受了磁共振成像（MRI）检查，采集了 T1 加权解剖和 MEGA-PRESS 光谱扫描。通过对催眠的功能神经影像学研究的定量荟萃分析，指导了对 ACC 的体素定位。使用催眠诱导特征（HIP）评估催眠易感性，并完成了评估吸收（TAS）、分离（DES）和负性情绪的自我报告问卷。ACC GABA 浓度与 HIP 评分呈正相关，即 GABA 浓度越高，个体越易催眠。对问卷子量表的探索性分析显示，谷氨酸与 DES 的吸收和想象参与子量表之间存在负相关。这些结果为催眠易感性的个体差异提供了一个潜在的神经生物学基础，并可以帮助我们理解对这种不断发展的心理治疗工具的治疗反应。
