Triple network alteration predicts dissociative symptoms following activation of the attachment system: Evidence from an EEG connectivity study

Dissociation is a psychological response to stress that impairs mental integration, identity, and consciousness and manifests itself in the form of detachment and compartmentalization. Such symptoms are common in psychiatric disorders and reflect altered brain connectivity. In this study, EEG connectivity at rest, before and after activation of the attachment system, was analysed in relation to the two forms of dissociation. The study included 98 participants (55 women, mean age 22.7 ± 6.9 years) who completed clinical/socio-demographic questionnaires and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test for mentalization. Two resting-state EEG sessions (before and after the Adult Attachment Projective) were recorded. Connectivity between nine hubs of the Default Mode Network (DMN), Central Executive Network (CEN) and Salience Network (SN) was analysed using the exact Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography software (eLORETA). Statistical analyses included four SnPM regressions for EEG-DCI correlations and a multiple WLS regression to predict compartmentalization, controlling for confounding factors. The eLORETA analysis showed a significant correlation between compartmentalization (DCI-C) and increased alpha connectivity between the dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after attachment-related stimuli. Neither the baseline nor the detachment subdimension showed a significant correlation. The regression analysis showed that SN-CEN connectivity, age, male gender and tobacco use significantly predict compartmentalization. These results might reflect dysfunctional cognitive control over emotional processing that contributes to the disconnection of conscious experience typical of compartmentalization. The pattern is particularly prominent following activation of the attachment system, suggesting the clinical utility of integrated therapeutic models targeting alpha connectivity between SN and CEN to reduce dissociative symptoms.