EEG Resting Activity in Highly Sensitive and Non-Highly Sensitive Persons

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a trait correlated with increased sensitivity to internal and external stimuli. FMRI studies indicate that increased activation in areas associated with attention, empathy, and higher-order visual processing correlate with high SPS. We used electroencephalography frequency power spectra in four frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, and beta) during resting state to examine differences between highly sensitive and non-highly sensitive persons. Results show that high SPS relates to higher absolute power in all frequency bands, pointing to higher activity of cortical pyramidal cells, and higher relative power in the delta and lower relative power in the alpha band, suggesting that high SPS persons are better able to shift attention from the external environment to the internal state.