An investigation of the somatosensory engagement during Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: an ERP study

The Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a sensory-emotional phenomenon characterized by tingling sensations, typically felt across the scalp and neck. Scepticism around this phenomenon is still widespread, keeping the question of whether it is genuine and not mere result of conditioning, still open. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to partially answer this question, by investigating the physiological correlates of the sensory feelings reported during ASMR. In this study, we investigated the time course of somatosensory activity during ASMR, by measuring somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in response to tactile stimuli delivered to 36 participants, while watching an ASMR and a control video. Cluster-based permutation test results revealed a significant difference in SEPs between the two conditions within the time window of mid-latency components (117–151 ms) and over medial and ipsilateral centro-parietal regions, with larger amplitude while engaging with the ASMR triggers as compared to the non-ASMR eliciting video. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence of enhanced somatosensory engagement during ASMR, contributing to the growing body of research supporting the authenticity of ASMR as a genuine sensory experience.