Alexithymia, interhemispheric transfer, and right hemispheric specialization: a critical review.
BACKGROUND
One neural model of alexithymia relates the condition to poor interhemispheric transfer, while another model associates it with a disturbance in right hemisphere activity.


METHODS
The available empirical evidence directly relating alexithymia to a deficit in interhemispheric transfer and/or in right hemisphere activity is critically reviewed.


RESULTS
The interhemispheric transfer studies have related alexithymia to a deficit in transfer, but the nature and directionality of the transfer deficit have yet to be determined. Many of the hemispheric specialization studies do not relate alexithymia to a right hemisphere dysfunction. Shortcomings of these studies are reviewed.


CONCLUSIONS
The hypothesis that alexithymia is related to a deficit in the right-to-left transfer of emotional information and to a right hemisphere impairment in emotion processing remains to be tested directly and definitively. Suggestions for future research are made.
Tabibnia
Golnaz
G
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA.
Zaidel
Eran
E
D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes