Introduction: The "autonomous sensory meridian response" (ASMR) is a neologism used to describe an internal sensation of deep Cap Cover relaxation and pleasant head tingling which is often stimulated by gentle sounds, light touch, and personal attention.Methods: An fMRI-based methodology was employed to examine the brain activation of subjects prescreened for ASMR-receptivity (n=10) as they watched ASMR videos and identified specific moments of relaxation and tingling.Results: Subjects who experienced ASMR Little Board Wire showed significant activation in regions associated with both reward (NAcc) and emotional arousal (dACC and Insula/IFG).Brain activation during ASMR showed similarities to patterns previously observed in musical frisson as well as affiliative behaviors.
Conclusion: This is the first study to measure the activation of various brain regions during ASMR and these results may help to reveal the mechanistic underpinnings of this sensation.