title: Relationship between conjugate lateral eye movements and alexithymia.
abstract: The relationship between conjugate lateral eye movements (CLEMs) and alexithymia was investigated in a group of 60 (23 male and 37 female) right-handed university students. Subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale, and the Basic Personality Inventory, which measures 12 basic dimensions of personality and psychopathology, CLEMs were recorded while subjects were asked 20 general knowledge questions that have no tendency to elicit eye movements predominantly in one direction. A series of gender by CLEM preference (left vs. right mover) ANOVAs were conducted with the various measures. There was a significant relationship between right CLEM preference and higher scores on the TAS, but no relationships between CLEMs and any of the other measures. These results suggest that alexithymia is associated with left cerebral lateralization, and support the hypothesis that alexithymic characteristics reflect a variation in brain organization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bagby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012737:Sex Factors