Reproducibility of physiological patterns in disgust visual stimulation design

The paper is addressed to the topic of physiological response-specificity in disgust induced by visual stimulation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate reproducibility of physiological reactivity pattern during disgust elicited by the International Affective Pictures System (IAPS) in 2 experiments. Twenty-nine subjects participated in the first experiment with 3 visual stimulation sessions with disgust-eliciting slides (3 slides in each 1 min long session). In the second experiment disgust-eliciting slides from the IAPS were presented to 42 subjects in 2 sessions (one slide for 1 min). Spectral power of frontal EEG, skin conductance (SCL, SCR and NS.SCR), heart rate(HR), heart period variability(HPV) and respiration rate were recorded. Visual stimulation evoked 1:.n deceleration, higher power of high frequency component of HPV, increased SCL and NS.SCR frequency, frontal slow alpha blocking and moderate increase in fast beta power in most of the sessions in both experiments. However in the second experiment the EEG pattern associated with disgust showed inconsistent shifts in fast alpha and slow beta bands, but was marked by higher power of theta activity. Our data in both experiments emphasizes presence of disgust-specific profiles of autonomic and at the less extent EEG responses in visual stimulation context. Discussed are potential behavioral mechanisms leading to observed physiological manifestations in disgust elicited by visual stimulation. The results support the consideration that disgust is an withdrawal type negative valence emotion associated with relatively low autonomic arousal (low HR, low amplitude SCRs with relatively high NS.SCR frequency) and moderate EEG activation signs. Obtained data showed more consistent reproducibility of disgust-specific autonomic rather than EEG response patterns during visual stimulation design.