BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a condition characterized by deficits in cognitive processing and the regulation of emotions. Several theories have been proposed for the underlying neurobiology, but the etiology of alexithymia remains unclear. METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated brain activation measured on the scale of alexithymia in 38 individuals who were presented with neutral, sad, or angry affective facial stimuli. RESULTS: We found significant inverse correlations between the degree of alexithymia represented by the Korean version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K) and the intensity of the neural response to angry facial stimuli over neutral facial stimuli in the right caudate. This result was mainly due to the activations in factor 2 (difficulty describing feelings) in TAS-20K scale. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that functional impairments in the caudate of the fronto-striatal circuitry may play important roles in the pathophysiology of alexithymia.
BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a condition characterized by deficits in cognitive processing and the regulation of emotions. Several theories have been proposed for the underlying neurobiology, but the etiology of alexithymia remains unclear. METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated brain activation measured on the scale of alexithymia in 38 individuals who were presented with neutral, sad, or angry affective facial stimuli. RESULTS: We found significant inverse correlations between the degree of alexithymia represented by the Korean version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K) and the intensity of the neural response to angry facial stimuli over neutral facial stimuli in the right caudate. This result was mainly due to the activations in factor 2 (difficulty describing feelings) in TAS-20K scale. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that functional impairments in the caudate of the fronto-striatal circuitry may play important roles in the pathophysiology of alexithymia.
Authors: Emily M Briceño; Lisa J Rapport; Michelle T Kassel; Linas A Bieliauskas; Jon-Kar Zubieta; Sara L Weisenbach; Scott A Langenecker Journal: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2014-05-23 Impact factor: 4.105
Authors: Nicole Rosenberg; Klas Ihme; Vladimir Lichev; Julia Sacher; Michael Rufer; Hans Jörgen Grabe; Harald Kugel; André Pampel; Jöran Lepsien; Anette Kersting; Arno Villringer; Thomas Suslow Journal: BMC Neurosci Date: 2020-05-29 Impact factor: 3.288
Authors: Tatia M C Lee; Mei-Kei Leung; Wai-Kai Hou; Joey C Y Tang; Jing Yin; Kwok-Fai So; Chack-Fan Lee; Chetwyn C H Chan Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-08-15 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Klas Ihme; Julia Sacher; Vladimir Lichev; Nicole Rosenberg; Harald Kugel; Michael Rufer; Hans-Jörgen Grabe; André Pampel; Jöran Lepsien; Anette Kersting; Arno Villringer; Thomas Suslow Journal: BMC Neurosci Date: 2014-03-14 Impact factor: 3.288