Each month on our main webpage, we feature a new research article for you to learn from. Be sure to take advantage of the abundance of information found in this collection of research articles from the last couple of years.
Note: The views expressed in these articles are those of the authors and are not necessarily reflective of the Misophonia Association.
From FEBRUARY 2023
This review highlights the need to include an audiologist as a team member in the evaluation and management of misophonia. (only the abstract is free)
Article by Sajana Aryal and Prashanth Prabhu, Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore, India
[Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol], December 2022
From JANUARY 2023
Study shows brain evidence of other triggers for the condition – Researchers for the first time have identified the parts of the brain involved in a less-commonly studied trigger of misophonia, a condition associated with an extreme aversion to certain sounds.
Article by Jeff Grabmeier, Ohio State News
Based on research by Zeynep Saygi, Andrew Leber, and Patricia Stefancin, Dept. of Psychology, Ohio State University
[ScienceDaily], August 2022
From NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Phase 3 clinical trials suggest that MDMA is efficacious at treating the symptoms of autonomic arousal, negative emotions, and interpersonal suffering found in PTSD. In this article, the authors propose that MDMA may represent an ideal treatment for some suffering from severe misophonia.
Article by Jadon Webb, MD, PHD and Shannon Keane, MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC
[Frontiers in Psychology], November 2022
From OCTOBER 2022
Free Open-Access Misophonia Stimuli (FOAMS) Sound Project
The FOAMS project was published to provide misophonia researchers with a free and open-source, standardized set of triggering sounds. This bank of normalized sound files allows researchers to have a common tool for studies so that misophonia researchers are using a consistent foundation of triggering sounds.
(Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Danielle Benesch; Dean Orloff; Marie-Anick Savard; Emily Coffey; Heather Hansen
[OpenAIRE, Zenodo], September 2022
OpenAIRE is a European project supporting Open Science; Zenodo is a general-purpose open repository developed under the European OpenAIRE program
From SEPTEMBER 2022
Development and Evaluation of a Sound-Swapped Video Database for Misophonia
Dr. Davidenko’s team at UC Santa Cruz has tested how visual context affects misophonia reactions by swapping the visual actions associated with triggering noises. Triggering noises are found to be less aversive when juxtaposed with alternate visual associations. The sample videos used in this study were also released for use by other researchers.
(Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Patrawat Samermit, Michael Young, Allison K. Allen, Hannah Trillo, Sandhya Shankar, Abigail Klein, Chris Kay, Ghazaleh Mahzouni, Veda Reddy, Veronica Hamilton, and Nicolas Davidenko
[Frontiers], July 2022
From AUGUST 2022
Treating Emotional Disorders with Maskers
Consulting an audiologist can help people with misophonia. An audiologist might recommend maskers to help take the edge off of trigger noises and allow people to manage their misophonia. (Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Jeff Lane, Au.D.
[Flagstaff Business News], August 2022
From JULY 2022
Misophonia: A Systematic Review of Current and Future Trends in this Emerging Clinical Field
This systematic review (1) offers a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the literature since 2001, (2) identifies the most relevant aspects but also controversies, (3) identifies the theoretical and methodological approaches, and (4) highlights the outstanding advances until May 2022 as well as aspects that remain unknown and deserve future research efforts.
Article by Antonia Ferrer-Torres and Lydia Gimenez-Liort, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
[Internatinal Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health], June 2022
From JUNE 2022
Misophonia: A psychological model and proposed treatment
The aim of this paper is to offer a theoretical account that can explain the phenomenology of misophonia that has been reported in the literature.
(Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Ezra Cowan, Donald R. Marks and Anthony Pinto
[Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders], January 2022
From May 2022
EMDR therapy for misophonia: a pilot study of case series
A case study on the use of EMDR for misophonia.
(Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Inge Jager, Nienke Vulink, Carlijn de Roos and Damiaan Denys, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC (Location AMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
[European Journal of Psychotraumatology], September 2021
From April 2022
“Ear rage:” Misophonia : Review and current state of knowledge
Article by C. Schwemmle and C. Arens
[Springer Open Choice], June 2021
Bonus article April 2022
β-Blockers for the Treatment of Misophonia and Misokinesia
Article by Dr. Jadon Webb
[Clinical Neuropharmacology], January/February 2022
From March 2022
A Factor Structure within Misophonia:The Sussex Misophonia Scale for researchers and clinicians
Article by Louisa J. Rinaldi, Jamie Ward, & Julia Simner
[PsyArXiv Preprints], December 2021
From February 2022
Disgust and Emotion Dysregulation in Misophonia: a Case for Mental Contamination?
Some people report ‘disgust’ as an element of a misophonia reaction to sounds. This paper takes a look at whether there is a relationship between misophonia and disgust sensitivity.
(Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Usha Barahmand, Maria E. Stalias-Mantzikos, Esther Rotlevi, & Ying Xiang
[International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction], November 2021
From January 2022
Development and psychometric exploration of a semi-structured clinical interview for Misophonia
No psychometrically validated interviews have been developed for misophonia. This paper is on the initial validation of the Duke Misophonia Interview, a step towards a standard diagnostic measure for clinicians and researchers.
(Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Rachel E. Guetta, M. Zachary Rosenthal, Clair Cassiello-Robbins, Deepika Anand
Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
[Personality and Individual Differences Journal], March 2022
From December 2021
Misophonia: How FHSU and You can help those needing peace and quiet
This article from the Fort Hays State University student newspaper, might not seem like a major article on misophonia, but student writer CJ Gibson does an excellent job summing up what misophonia is, what it is like to manage with it, and how tough it can be to find understanding and support. Covering everything from famous authors who might have had misophonia to garnering school and workplace accomodations, this article is a great introduction to the world of a person with misohphonia. (Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by CJ Gibson
[Tiger Media Network, Fort Hays University], September 2021
From November 2021
Item Response Theory Investigation of Misophonia Auditory Triggers
One of several papers recently on the nature of the sounds that trigger people with misophonia. Eating and oral sounds rank as the highest and most common, but are far from the only kinds of sounds that typically activate a misophonic reaction. (Summary by Cris Edwards)
Article by Silia Vitoratou, Nora Uglik-Marucha, Chloe Hayes, Mercede Erfanian, Oliver Pearson, and Jane Gregory
[Audiology Research], October 2021
From October 2021
Development and Initial Validation of the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire
With a number of potential diagnostic methods and self-report measures on the table for assessing misophonia, this paper examines the recently created Duke Misophonia Questionnaire in relation to existing proposed measures. The paper also covers current understanding of misophonia and research that is under way to better grasp what misophonia is. (Summary by Cris Edwards)
[Frontiers in Psychology], September 2021
From September 2021
Obsessed with Sound: An Investigation into Misophonia and its Relation to Memory
This is the Master’s degree thesis by a student researcher who participated in our 2021 online convention.
By Michael A. Tollefsrud, A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of the Graduate School at North Carolina Central University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Master of Arts
[ProQuest Dissertations Publishing], 2020
From August 2021
Context influences how individuals with misophonia respond to sounds
Anyone with misophonia can tell you from experience that the severity of a misophonic reaction depends on many factors such as mood, environment, and so on. This study looks at how context affects the degree and severity of a misophonia trigger.
Study by Miren Edelstein (University of California, San Diego), Bradley Monk (University of California, San Francisco), Vilayanur Ramachandran (University of California, San Diego), and Romke Rouw (University of Amsterdam) (Summary by Cris Edwards)
[bioRXiv the Preprint Server for Biology], September 2020
From July 2021
What sound sources trigger misophonia? Not just chewing and breathing
This new study delves into the types of sounds which people with misophonia are “triggered” by. While people with moderate-to-severe misophonia are aware of the breadth of sounds that are activating to them, the general public has often mistakenly categorized triggering sounds as being of oral or nasal origin. This study looks into that false assumption with more depth. (Summary by Cris Edwards)
[Journal of Clinical Psychology], June 2021
From June 2021
The Motor Basis for Misophonia
Another pioneering new study by neuroscientist, Sukhbinder Kumar [et.al.], reveals that misophonia triggers, though usually auditory, stimulate motor regions of the brains of people who have misophonia. What this means is unclear at present, but brings a great new bit of information in the case to figure out what misophonia is and how it happens. (Summary by Cris Edwards)
[Journal of Neuroscience], May 2021
From May 2021
A Consensus Definition of Misophonia: Using a Delphi Process to Reach Expert Agreement
Clinicians and researchers have not been working with a unified definition of what exactly misophonia is. This paper, authored by sixteen leading researchers of misophonia, presents a cohesive, consensus definition of the disorder for all people who study, diagnose, and experience misophonia to use as a basis for their understanding.
[MedRXiv, The Preprint Server for Health Sciences]; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, April 2021 (Preprints are preliminary reports of work that have not been certified by peer review. They should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information).
From April 2021
Cognitive behavioral therapy for misophonia: A randomized clinical trial
In this research article, the authors inform us that patients with misophonia suffer from anger or disgust confronted with specific sounds and that avoidance of cue‐related situations results in social isolation and significant functional impairment. The authors go on with their description of the first randomized, controlled cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) trial for misophonia, evaluating the short‐ and long‐term efficacy.
Authors: Inge J. Jager, Nienke C.C. Vulink, Isidoor O. Bergfeld, Arnold J.J. M. van Loon, Damian A.J.P. Denys (All authors are with the Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
[Official Journal of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America], December 2021
From March 2021
According to the authors of this new research article, considering the novelty of misophonia, no studies to date have directly addressed the effectiveness of CBT on anger in individuals with misophonia. However, in support of our findings, some studies have indicated the efficacy of CBT on the symptoms of misophonia.
Authors: Khadijeh Roushani, PhD and Mahnaz Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, PhD, Department of Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
[The Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences], January 2021
From February 2021
At the 2020 Misophonia Convention, Dr. Marti Glenn presented the topic “What Polyvagal Theory Can Tell Us About Misophonia.” In this excerpt from her acceptance speech when she received the Thomas Verny Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, Dr. Glenn shares about different areas of research, including Steven Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, which she says helps us calm the nervous system and experience ourselves and the world in different ways.
Talk given 2017 by Marti Glenn, PhD
From January 2021
What sound sources trigger misophonia? Not just chewing and breathing
Previous research has focused primarily on aversions to human mouth and nose sound (e.g., chewing, sniffling), but there exists considerable individual variability in sound reported as bothersome, warranting an objective and data-driven investigation. This article shares the outcomes of 3 experimental methods with participants in the study. The study helps validate the disorder quantitatively, offers supporting evidence for the inclusion of misophonia as a legitimate disorder, and emphasizes the need to expand our definition of misophonic trigger sounds.
By Heather A. Hansen, Andrew B. Leber, Zeynep M. Saygin (The Ohio State University Department of Psychology)
[PsyArXuv Preprints Service], March 2020
From December 2020
This article reviews the evidence related to the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for alleviating the distress caused by tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia. The authors share that Case studies and some limited RCTs (randomized controlled trials) suggest that CBT can also be effective in alleviating the distress caused by hyperacusis and misophonia.
[Dove Medical Press Limited on Pubmed Central], Oct. 2019
From November 2020
Context influences how individuals with misophonia respond to sounds
In this unpublished preprint, misophonia researchers indicate that in general, anecdotal evidence suggests that misophonia triggers involve a combination of sound stimuli and contextual cues.
Research by Miren Edelstein, PhD, Dept. of Psychology, University of California, San Diego; Bradley Monk, PhD, Dept. of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego; V.S. Ramachandran, PhD, Dept. of Psychology, University of California, San Diego; Romke Rouw, PhD, Dept. of Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam
[bioRxiv Preprint Server for Biology], September, 2020
bioRxiv (pronounced “bio-archive”) is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences. It is operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and educational institution. By posting preprints on bioRxiv, authors are able to make their findings immediately available to the scientific community and receive feedback on draft manuscripts before they are submitted to journals.
From October 2020
Article by Emily C. Daniels, Andrew Rodriguez, and Darya Zabelina (Dept. of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas)
[PLOS ONE Journal], January 2020
From September 2020
What’s the Deal with Misophonia?
New studies shed light on what misophonia really is, and what to do about it.
Recent experiments have given us a new, more neurological perspective on misophonia, providing scientific evidence that different brains really do react to sounds in very different ways. In this new article, clinical psychologist Loren Soeiro offers some fresh insight for ways to deal with misophonia.
[Psychology Today], February 2020
From August 2020
Is Your Family’s Chewing and Slurping Driving You Insane? Here’s What To Do
In this recent article, there is a great description about people’s experiences dealing with misophonia, plus insight from two well-known misophonia experts.
Article by Ryan Prior, CNN, quoting Zachary Rosenthal, Director, Duke University’s Center for Misophonia and Emotional Regulation and Jennifer Brout, Director of the International Misophonia Research Network
[CNN Health], April 2020
From June 2020
Stuck at Home with Misophonia? Some Tips for Coping!
In this recent article in, you will find helpful tips for dealing with misophonia while sheltered in place during the global pandemic.
Article by Jennifer Brout, Psy.D., who helped found the Sensory Processing and Emotion Regulation Program at Duke University and who is Director of the International Misophonia Research Network
[Psychology Today], April 2020
From May 2020
Misophonia – A Neurologic, Psychologic and Audiologic Complex
In this new article, Dr. Ali Danesh and Dr. Hashir Aszh will hopefully help draw much-needed awareness to the condition of misophonia. Although there is no new information introduced, the article is worthwhile because it rounds up most of the existing information now available into one place. They go over the background and currently accepted definition of misophonia, research involving co-existing conditions, underlying causes & neural correlates, the standard evaluations now available and management protocols and methods that have been developed.
In their conclusion, they admit there is no quick fix or magic pill for misophonia but that the use of sound therapies, behavioral modifications, and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) seems to be promising. They also encourage further research about the effectiveness of other treatment methods, such as electrical and magnetic stimulations, in the search for misophonia management.
If the article helps to promote interest and the much-needed research about misophonia, it can also help in the goal of finding curative treatments for those suffering with the condition.
[The Hearing Journal], March 2020
From April 2020
Development and Psychometric Properties of MisoQuest—A New Self-Report Questionnaire for Misophonia
Funded by the faculty of psychology at the University of Warsaw and the Polish National Science Center, the development and testing of a new questionnaire to assess misophonia is characterized by good psychometric values and is substantially different from misophonia questionnaires currently in use.
[International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health], March 5, 2020.