ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Cognitive Science
Neurophysiological and cognitive enhancements in autonomous sensory meridian response identified using heart rate variability and electroencephalography connectivity
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 2Department of Neurology, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 3Department of Convergence Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 4NeuroTx, Co., Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Introduction: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a sensory-emotional phenomenon characterized by tingling sensations and relaxation, typically elicited by auditory or visual stimuli. Although anecdotal reports suggest potential cognitive and physiological benefits, empirical evidence remains limited. Furthermore, objective physiological monitoring of ASMR-related responses has yet to be systematically explored. Methods: Twenty healthy Korean adults underwent 5-minute exposure to natural sound-based ASMR stimuli. Cognitive assessments, including the Trail Making Test Part B and a delayed word recall task, were administered before and after stimulation. Simultaneously, electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography were recorded to examine power spectral density (PSD), functional connectivity (FC), and HRV indices. Gaussian Mixture Modeling (GMM) was applied to HRV features to classify responders. Results: Post-ASMR stimulation, participants demonstrated significant cognitive improvements (Trail Making Test: P = 0.004; Delayed Recall: P = 0.022). EEG analyses revealed increased PSD in frontoparietal regions and enhanced FC, particularly in beta and gamma bands. HRV measures showed elevated parasympathetic activity. GMM clustering identified two groups; responders exhibited greater cognitive enhancement and FC changes than non-responders. Correlation analyses showed positive associations between HRV indices and memory performance, and a negative correlation between beta-band prefrontal FC and recall. Discussion: Auditory ASMR stimulation improves executive and memory functions, potentially through modulating neural connectivity and autonomic function. HRV indices serve as practical, non-invasive markers for real-time monitoring of auditory-induced neurocognitive changes, offering potential for personalized cognitive enhancement strategies.
Keywords: Autonomous sensory meridian response, Heart rate variability, Cognition, Electroencephalography, Electrocardiography, Autonomic Nervous System
Received: 24 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Kim, Kim, Yoon, Park, Kim and Kim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jung Bin Kim, kjbin80@korea.ac.kr
Dong-Joo Kim, dongjookim@korea.ac.kr
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