title: [Patterns of neuronal activity related to emotional stimulation in alexithymia].
abstract: In alexithymia a frontal dysfunction is supposed to be a neurobiological correlate. This study focuses on distorted patterns of neuronal activity evoked by emotional stimuli in alexithymics and controls. Out of hospitalised patients with psychosomatic diseases 8 patients with a high score (HA) and 8 with a low one (NA) on the TAS-20 were investigated with fMRI during emotional stimulation which included pictures evoking anxiety and disgust as well as neutral illustrations. As response to negative affect arousing visual stimulation HA in comparison to NA showed a lower activation in the right medial prefrontal cortex and in the right amygdala. The results were significant for the emotion disgust. The results support the existence of a complex central feedback circuit consisting of regions of the prefrontal cortex and limbic structures to process negative affects. Hypothetically a fundamental factor for the emergence of alexithymic traits is an inhibiting process between affect processing (e. g. medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulum) and affect generating structures (e. g. amygdala). Furthermore our findings confirm the hypothesis that alexithymia is a disorder of higher cerebral function.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie der Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen. Frank.Leweke@psycho.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leweke
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Milch
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kurth
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schienle
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kirsch
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stingl
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reimer
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaitl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales