Sensory sensitivities: research and theories?

Yes this seems so very different and similar to what I’ve read elsewhere, that’s why I just lump mine (which I think is very different) in with general confusion/migraine type fog. To call it sensitivity seems like I’m overstating it. I can’t imagine the level of concentration required with the pain you describe.

 

I had a quick scan and I have found a few studies that conclude that:

• the brain uses the most energy/ATP out of all the organs in the body (about 20%) from glucose
• that the cerebral cortex is likely to use the lion-share (great ...that’s insightful)
• That the parts of the brain that process light and sound do so in a very similar way (postulating that this is primarily a threat detection process which feels overly simplistic)
• That so far we don’t know enough detail about how the brain works (probably because it’s very complicated and there are so many psychiatrists diluting the research funds)

I’ve not linked the various studies since there was a lot of reading with not much more than the above. There is a lot of guff/non scientific armchair musings from behavioural psychology out there that is quite draining to wade through.

In recent years they have developed mri based techniques I think to look at brain activity to stimulation and last year a study was done on rat brains (invasive) to look at ATP activity/mapping to stimulus. It looks like there isn’t much out there beyond that.

It feels plausible that some processes in the body may be shut down/changed to conserve depleted energy (like digestion, body temperature etc), however it seems odd to shut down the brain which feels like a last resort? But we don’t know enough about it to know.

In addition to energy conservation, perhaps blood flow is also a factor? The work on micro circulation might be a start to understanding things?

Just my musings and I didn’t spend more than an hour on this.

 

yes this is how it is for me also, but sound is worse than light for me, light is only very* bad when i'm in PEM, when the slightest chink of light is like a dagger. It must be so hard to be like it all the time.

What i cant understand is how sound ramps up the "volume" on ALL my symptoms, there & then, as well as draining the battery more. It's like there is a 'volume' dial in my brain with all my symptoms on it, and 'Sensory Input' is the man who controls the dial, and sound dials up the volume the most. So once i'm in PEM sound makes ALL symptoms worse in the moment,
as well as 'too much' sensory input eventually causing PEM.

I dont think the 'threat detection' theory makes sense for me, because when i'm scared/anxious i can tolerate MUCH more sensory input that when calm. It's like the dial becomes much less sensitive.

I wish they would research it because i think it could give clues, but what do i know

 

It doesn't to me either.

The first time I went tharn (for any Watership Down fans), I had gone to the supermarket with IM.

He said I'll just go get something and you get something else. I instantly forgot what he said.

It was too bright with too many colours & too loud with too many different sounds and lots people moving about.

I couldn't remember what he was wearing, where he'd gone, whether he was coming back and I simply didn't know what to do. All I could think of was to stand to one side out of the way - though standing hurt.

I'd never experienced a panic attack and just assumed that's what was happening. Get a grip I thought and focused in my breathing and then I realized my breathing was normal. The POTs type symptoms weren't as bad in those days so if my HR was up it certainly wasn't racing or anything. None of what you would expect from the old flight or fright.

Sensory overload. Pure and simple.