Alexithymia and neuroendocrine-immune response in patients with autoimmune diseases: preliminary results on relationship between alexithymic construct and TNF-alpha levels.

Alexithymia is conceptualized as a disorder of emotion regulation mechanisms, which involves a dissociation of emotional and physical responses to life events and bodily sensations. Our results might suggest a possible relationship between the alexithymic construct and TNF levels in RA patients. These preliminary findings corroborate the integrated bidirectional interactions between neuropsychological mechanisms and the neuroendocrine-immune system in patients affected by autoimmune diseases and contribute to finding a common biological pathway linking alexithymia and autoimmune-inflammatory diseases.