  Depersonalisation/derealisation disorder (DPD) refers to frequent and
persistent detachment from bodily self and disengagement from the outside
world. As a dissociative disorder, DPD affects 1-2% of the population, but
takes 7-12 years on average to be accurately diagnosed. In this systematic
review, we comprehensively describe research targeting the neural correlates of
core DPD symptoms, covering publications between 1992 and 2020 that have used
electrophysiological techniques. The aim was to investigate the diagnostic
potential of these relatively inexpensive and convenient neuroimaging tools. We
review the EEG power spectrum, components of the event-related potential (ERP),
as well as vestibular and heartbeat evoked potentials as likely
electrophysiological biomarkers to study DPD symptoms. We argue that acute
anxiety- or trauma-related impairments in the integration of interoceptive and
exteroceptive signals play a key role in the formation of DPD symptoms, and
that future research needs analysis methods that can take this integration into
account. We suggest tools for prospective studies of electrophysiological DPD
biomarkers, which are urgently needed to fully develop their diagnostic
potential.
