Further reflections on psychosomatic theory. Alexithymia and interhemispheric specialization.
Clinical and laboratory observations of alexithymia suggest that a neurophysiologic hypothesis may be more useful than the traditional psychodynamic explanations for understanding psychosomatic processes. Current data support the concept of a functional disconnection between the two cerebral hemispheres. A mechanism for this disconnection, based on Kaplan and Wogan's experimental analogue of alexithymia, is presented. This mechanism implicates an inability to process painful stimuli through right hemispheric processes as a causitive factor in psychosomatic illness. Discussion of how this mechanism explains clinical observations of psychosomatic illness, and suggestions for further studies to elucidate and test this hypothetical mechanism are presented.
D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005201:Fantasy; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds