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International Journal of... Sep 2022This paper provides an accessible review of the biological and psychological evidence to guide new and experienced researchers in the study of emotional piloerection in... (Review)
Review
This paper provides an accessible review of the biological and psychological evidence to guide new and experienced researchers in the study of emotional piloerection in humans. A limited number of studies have attempted to examine the physiological and emotional correlates of piloerection in humans. However, no review has attempted to collate this evidence to guide the field as it moves forward. We first discuss the mechanisms and function of non-emotional and emotional piloerection in humans and animals. We discuss the biological foundations of piloerection as a means to understand the similarities and differences between emotional and non-emotional piloerection. We then present a systematic qualitative review (k = 24) in which we examine the physiological correlates of emotional piloerection. The analysis revealed that indices of sympathetic activation are abundant, suggesting emotional piloerection occurs with increased (phasic) skin conductance and heart rate. Measures of parasympathetic activation are lacking and no definite conclusions can be drawn. Additionally, several studies examined self-reported emotional correlates, and these correlates are discussed in light of several possible theoretical explanations for emotional piloerection. Finally, we provide an overview of the methodological possibilities available for the study of piloerection and we highlight some pressing questions researchers may wish to answer in future studies.
Topics: Animals; Emotions; Heart Rate; Humans; Piloerection
PubMed: 35764195
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.06.010 -
Seizure Jan 2019To comprehensively analyze ictal piloerection (IP) in a large number of subjects.
PURPOSE
To comprehensively analyze ictal piloerection (IP) in a large number of subjects.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review on case report studies of patients diagnosed with IP (1929-2017) with additional cases included from the Department of Neurology of University of Pécs, the National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, and Odense University Hospital. Each included case was characterized regarding patient history, IP seizure characteristics, diagnostic work-up, and therapy. Comparative analyses were also carried out based on sex and pathology.
RESULTS
Altogether, 109 cases were included. We observed a strong male predominance (p < 0.001). The mean age at onset of epilepsy was 39.5 ± 20.7 years (median: 38, IQR:24-57). The seizure onset zone was temporal (p < 0.001), and was lateralized to the ipsilateral hemisphere in unilateral localization (p = 0.001). The seizure was accompanied by cold shiver in 53%, and by other autonomic symptoms in 47% of cases. In 53% of patients, IP never progressed into complex partial or generalized tonic-clonic seizure; 16% of the patients reported occasional, and 31% regular generalization. Seizure frequency was higher among females (median:25/day, IQR:3-60) than among males (median:3/day, IQR:1-11) (p = 0.017). The two most common underlying pathologies were limbic encephalitis (23%) and astrocytoma (23%, among them 64% WHO III-IV astrocytoma).
CONCLUSION
IP was particularly associated with autoimmune encephalitis and high-grade glioma, suggesting IP's particular clinical importance in directing diagnostic work-up.
Topics: Adult; Autonomic Nervous System; Brain Neoplasms; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe; Female; Glioma; Humans; Limbic Encephalitis; Male; Middle Aged; Piloerection
PubMed: 30497014
DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2018.11.009