Autonomic Reactivity during Viewing of an Unpleasant Film

Abstract

The effect of an aversive, high-arousing film on heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and electrogastrographic activity (EGG) was investigated. Previous studies have indicated a larger heart-rate deceleration for visual stimuli depicting surgery or blood compared to neutral content, and this phenomenon is similar to the bradycardia observed in animals in response to fear. The heart-rate deceleration is clearly parasympathetically driven, and it is considered a general index of attention. An accurate index of cardiac vagal tone can be obtained by means of quantification of the amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia. The relationship between cardiac vagal tone and EGG is complex, but animal research has shown that suppressing vagal activity dampens gastric motility. We have investigated whether a movie depicting surgery is associated with greater heart-rate deceleration, larger increase in respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and greater increase in EGG activity compared to a neutral movie. In addition, if both respiratory sinus arrhythmia and EGG are indices of vagal tone, a positive correlation between these physiological responses was expected. Analysis indicated an effect of the surgery movie on heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, but not on EGG activity. Moreover, the expected correlation was not found. Implications for future studies are discussed.

Psychophysiological Correlates of Sexually and Non-Sexually Motivated Attention to Film Clips in a Workload Task

“…The HR deceleration (with an increase in electrodermal activity) is thought to represent stimulus-specific aversive responses [37], [38], [39] but is also a component of the orientating reflex [40], thus facilitating the processing of the external environment [41]. Therefore, it has been suggested that increases in SCL and decreases in HR represents increased sensory intake and attentional processing, as well as more sustained attention to the motivationally relevant stimulus [42].…”

Symptom Presentation and Symptom Meaning Among Traumatized Cambodian Refugees: Relevance to a Somatically Focused Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

“…In a malaria attack, after an initial hour-long period of rigors, accompanied by palpitations and other symptoms of autonomic arousal, there ensues an hour-long period of intense fever, along with extreme dizziness, as well as anxiety, nausea, palpitations, and shortness of breath (Hinton, Chhean, Pich, Um, et al, 2006). Yet still, during the Pol Pot period, dizziness was not uncommon in response to viewing blood (e.g., from shrapnel injury), decaying bodies, and eviscerations (a common method of execution); these images result not only in subjective dizziness but in an actual slowing of heart rate and in a drop of blood pressure (Baldaro et al, 2001). …”

The mindful attention and awareness scale is associated with lower levels of high‐frequency heart rate variability in a laboratory context

“…One broad category of laboratory stressors requires the participant to attend to and experience auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli without engaging in an overt behavioral response. These types of stressors typically evoke a decrease in heart rate (HR) which has been associated with parasympathetic activation (Baldaro et al, ; Palomba, Sarlo, Angrilli, Mini, & Stegagno, ). In their pioneering cardiovascular reactivity research works, the Lacey’s labelled these as “sensory intake” stressors (Coles, Jennings, & Stern, ; Lacey & Lacey, ).…”