Preferential attention towards the eye-region amongst individuals with insomnia.
People with insomnia often perceive their own facial appearance as more tired compared with the appearance of others. Evidence also highlights the eye-region in projecting tiredness cues to perceivers, and tiredness judgements often rely on preferential attention towards this region. Using a novel eye-tracking paradigm, this study examined: (i) whether individuals with insomnia display preferential attention towards the eye-region, relative to nose and mouth regions, whilst observing faces compared with normal-sleepers; and (ii) whether an attentional bias towards the eye-region amongst individuals with insomnia is self-specific or general in nature. Twenty individuals with DSM-5 Insomnia Disorder and 20 normal-sleepers viewed 48 neutral facial photographs (24 of themselves, 24 of other people) for periods of 4000 ms. Eye movements were recorded using eye-tracking, and first fixation onset, first fixation duration and total gaze duration were examined for three interest-regions (eyes, nose, mouth). Significant group × interest-region interactions indicated that, regardless of the face presented, participants with insomnia were quicker to attend to, and spent more time observing, the eye-region relative to the nose and mouth regions compared with normal-sleepers. However, no group × face × interest-region interactions were established. Thus, whilst individuals with insomnia displayed preferential attention towards the eye-region in general, this effect was not accentuated during self-perception. Insomnia appears to be characterized by a general, rather than self-specific, attentional bias towards the eye-region. These findings contribute to our understanding of face perception in insomnia, and provide tentative support for cognitive models of insomnia demonstrating that individuals with insomnia monitor faces in general, with a specific focus around the eye-region, for cues associated with tiredness.
Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.
Umair
U
Akram
Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.
Jason G
JG
Ellis
Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.
Andriy
A
Myachykov
Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Nicola L
NL
Barclay
D000328:Adult; D005123:Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D005145:Face / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
cognitive processes; facial cues; self-perception; sleep; tiredness