title: Alexithymia is related to differences in gray matter volume: a voxel-based morphometry study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alexithymia has been characterized as the inability to identify and describe feelings. Functional imaging studies have revealed that alexithymia is linked to reactivity changes in emotion- and face-processing-relevant brain areas. In this respect, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), amygdala, anterior insula and fusiform gyrus (FFG) have been consistently reported. However, it remains to be clarified whether alexithymia is also associated with structural differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Voxel-based morphometry on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images was used to investigate gray matter volume in 17 high alexithymics (HA) and 17 gender-matched low alexithymics (LA), which were selected from a sample of 161 healthy volunteers on basis of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Data were analyzed as statistic parametric maps for the comparisons LA>HA and HA>LA in a priori determined regions of interests (ROIs), i.e., ACC, amygdala, anterior insula and FFG. Moreover, an exploratory whole brain analysis was accomplished.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the contrast LA>HA, significant clusters were detected in the ACC, left amygdala and left anterior insula. Additionally, the whole brain analysis revealed volume differences in the left middle temporal gyrus. No significant differences were found for the comparison HA>LA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that high compared to low alexithymics show less gray matter volume in several emotion-relevant brain areas. These structural differences might contribute to the functional alterations found in previous imaging studies in alexithymia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, Semmelweisstrasse 10. Leipzig, Germany. ihme@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Klas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ihme
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dannlowski
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lichev
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stuhrmann
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grotegerd
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kugel
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Heindel
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arolt
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kersting
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suslow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000473:pathology*; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012727:Sex Characteristics