Working Memory Disruption and Altered Alpha Dynamics in Misophonics

Background/Objectives: Misophonia is characterized by disproportionate emotional and physiological responses to specific "trigger" sounds, often accompanied by self-reported difficulty maintaining focus. Here, we sought to provide objective evidence of such cognitive disruptions by combining behavioral measures of auditory working memory with electroencephalographic (EEG) indices of neural processing. Methods: Fifty-five participants (23 Misophonic, 32 control) completed a pitch-matching WM task under three distractor conditions: individualized trigger sounds, neutral sounds, and silence. EEG was analyzed using a time-frequency approach to assess alpha (8-12 Hz) oscillatory activity during working memory retention at the source level with Independent Component Analyses (ICA). Results: Behaviorally, Misophonic participants exhibited reduced overall working memory performance compared to controls, with no difference between neutral and trigger conditions, suggesting a general deficit in distractor inhibition. EEG results showed lower alpha power across all conditions in the misophonia group, consistent with diminished inhibitory control rather than trigger-specific effects. This lower Alpha appeared to occur for sources in parietal and somatomotor areas. Group differences were apparent in alpha suppression around trigger onset times and alpha enhancements occurring later in retention intervals. Conclusions: Results are consistent with claims made in the literature that Misophonics show impaired attentional control and motor regulation. Implications for Misophonia theoretical models and directions for future research are discussed.