Scans show some brains have a stronger link between the part that processes sound and that which controls the mouth and throat Scientists have shed li

Research reveals why some find the sound of others eating so irritating

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2021-05-24 23:30:02

Scans show some brains have a stronger link between the part that processes sound and that which controls the mouth and throat

Scientists have shed light on why everyday sounds such as chewing, drinking and breathing can be so maddening to some people that it drives them to despair.

While the familiar munching and slurping of the dinner table are innocuous enough to most, those with misophonia – literally a hatred of sound – can find them profoundly irritating, to the point that they become disgusted, anxious, angry and even violent.

Now, brain scans performed by researchers at Newcastle University have revealed that people with misophonia have stronger connectivity between the part of the brain that processes sounds and the part of the so-called premotor cortex which handles mouth and throat muscle movements.

When people with misophonia were played a “trigger sound”, the scans showed that the brain region involved in mouth and throat movement was overactivated compared with a control group of volunteers who did not have the condition.