Alexithymia in healthy women: a brain morphology study
Open accessAbstract
Background Alexithymia relates to difficulty recognizing and describing own feelings. Recent literature shows that specific structures process emotions. Aim of this study was to investigate whether alexithymia is associated with a specific cerebral morphology of candidate structures in healthy adults.Methods Fifty-four female volunteers were enrolled in the study and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was self-administered. Gray matter (GM) volume was assessed with an optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) protocol on high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance images. The following three experiments were carried out: 1) contrast between the 14 volunteers with TAS-20 scores > or = 61 (alexithymic) and the 30 with scores < 51 (non-alexithymic), 2) correlation of TAS-20 scores on the whole sample and 3) contrast between the 14 alexithymic and 14 non-alexithymic matched by age. The significant threshold for VBM comparisons and correlation was set at p<0.005 uncorrected.Results The alexithymic group showed smaller GM volume in the anterior cingulate cortex (cluster size: 735 voxel no.; z=3.26; stereotaxic coordinates: -12, 22, 30) and middle temporal gyrus (256; 3.21; -60, 2, -20). Of specific biological relevance, smaller clusters were located in the anterior insula, orbitofrontal cortex and superior temporal sulcus. The opposite comparison was negative. The correlation analysis confirmed the pattern of results mainly in the left hemisphere.Conclusions Our findings suggest that the ability to process emotional aspects of the self correlates with morphology of a specific set of cerebral structures known to be involved in decision making and self awareness and rich in neurons subserving social competence.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Atypicalities in the structure and function of interoceptive cortex (AI and ACC) in alexithymia seem relatively specific to these regions, rather than diffuse across the brain.
“atypicalities in the structure and function of interoceptive cortex (AI and ACC) in alexithymia, which seem relatively specific to these regions, rather than diffuse across the brain (e.g. Borsci et al., 2009; Deng et al., 2013; Frewen et al., 2006; Goerlich-Dobre et al., 2014; Grabe et al., 2014; Heinzel et al., 2010; Ihme et al., 2013; Jongen et al., 2014; Kano and Fukudo, 2013; Kano et al., 200”
From Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review (2021) · cites this paper as Borsci et al., 2009
Cites
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144230 · Cited by 7,433 · see citing works
Cognitive and emotional influences in anterior cingulate cortex
Bush, G., Luu, P., & Posner, M. I. (2000) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01483-2 · Cited by 6,259 · see citing works
The feeling of what happens: body and emotion in the making of consciousness
(2000) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.37-6553 · Cited by 5,998 · see citing works
Bagby, R. M., Parker, J. D. A., & Taylor, G. J. (1994) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/0022-3999(94)90005-1 · Cited by 5,293 · see citing works
The precuneus: a review of its functional anatomy and behavioural correlates
Cavanna, A. E., & Trimble, M. R. (2006) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awl004 · Cited by 5,128 · see citing works
Functional neuroanatomy of emotion: A meta-analysis of emotion activation studies in PET and fMRI
Phan, K. L., Wager, T., Taylor, S. F., & Liberzon, I. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1087 · Cited by 3,502 · see citing works
The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness
Panksepp, J., & Modell, A. H. (2000) · Neuropsychoanalysis · doi:10.1080/15294145.2000.10773287 · Cited by 3,421 · see citing works
Contributions of anterior cingulate cortex to behaviour
Devinsky, O., Morrell, M. J., & Vogt, B. A. (1995) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/118.1.279 · Cited by 3,377 · see citing works
The Prevalence of ‘Alexithymic’ Characteristics in Psychosomatic Patients
Sifneos, P. E. (2010) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000286529 · Cited by 2,818 · see citing works
Self-referential processing in our brain—A meta-analysis of imaging studies on the self
Northoff, G., Heinzel, A., de Greck, M., Bermpohl, F., Dobrowolny, H., & Panksepp, J. (2006) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.12.002 · Cited by 2,792 · see citing works
The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia scale—II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity
Bagby, R. M., Taylor, G. J., & Parker, J. D. A. (1994) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/0022-3999(94)90006-x · Cited by 2,431 · see citing works
Neurobiology of emotion perception I: the neural basis of normal emotion perception
Phillips, M. L., Drevets, W. C., Rauch, S. L., & Lane, R. (2003) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00168-9 · Cited by 2,173 · see citing works
Ochsner, K. N., Ray, R. D., Cooper, J. C., Robertson, E. R., Chopra, S., Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Gross, J. J. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.06.030 · Cited by 2,113 · see citing works
Neural systems for recognizing emotion
Adolphs, R. (2002) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/s0959-4388(02)00301-x · Cited by 1,933 · see citing works
Cortical midline structures and the self
Northoff, G., & Bermpohl, F. (2004) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2004.01.004 · Cited by 1,446 · see citing works
(1997) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,407 · see citing works
Die Cytoarchitektonik der Hirnrinde des erwachsenen Menschen
Economo, C. V., & Koskinas, G. N. (1925) · Springer eBooks · Cited by 1,234 · see citing works
Grafton, S., Arbib, M., Fadiga, L., & Rizzolatti, G. (1996) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00227183 · Cited by 1,045 · see citing works
Localization of grasp representations in humans by PET: 1. Observation versus execution
Rizzolatti, G., Fadiga, L., Matelli, M., Bettinardi, V., Paulesu, E., Perani, D., & Fazio, F. (1996) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00227301 · Cited by 1,028 · see citing works
Allman, J. M., Hakeem, A. Y., Erwin, J. M., Nimchinsky, E. A., & Hof, P. R. (2001) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb03476.x · Cited by 903 · see citing works
The Alexithymia Construct: A Potential Paradigm for Psychosomatic Medicine
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. A. (1991) · Psychosomatics · doi:10.1016/s0033-3182(91)72086-0 · Cited by 742 · see citing works
The self and social cognition: the role of cortical midline structures and mirror neurons
Uddin, L. Q., Iacoboni, M., Lange, C., & Keenan, J. P. (2007) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2007.01.001 · Cited by 704 · see citing works
Lane, R. D., Reiman, E. M., Axelrod, B., Yun, L.-S., Holmes, A., & Schwartz, G. E. (1998) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/089892998562924 · Cited by 671 · see citing works
Bressi, C., Taylor, G. J., Parker, J. D. A., Bressi, S., Brambilla, V., Aguglia, E., Allegranti, I., Bongiorno, A., Giberti, F., Bucca, M., et al. (1996) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00228-0 · Cited by 670 · see citing works
Depression is strongly associated with alexithymia in the general population
Honkalampi, K. M., Hintikka, J., Tanskanen, A. J., Lehtonen, J., & Viinamäki, H. T. (2000) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(99)00083-5 · Cited by 663 · see citing works
Alexithymia : a view of the psychosomatic process
Nemiah, J. C. (1976) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 626 · see citing works
Salminen, J. K., Saarijãrvi, S., Äärelä, E., Toikka, T., & Kauhanen, J. (1999) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(98)00053-1 · Cited by 545 · see citing works
A neuronal morphologic type unique to humans and great apes
Nimchinsky, E. A., Gilissen, E., Allman, J. M., Perl, D. P., Erwin, J. M., & Hof, P. R. (1999) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.96.9.5268 · Cited by 494 · see citing works
Intuition and autism: a possible role for Von Economo neurons
Allman, J. M., Watson, K. K., Tetreault, N. A., & Hakeem, A. Y. (2005) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.06.008 · Cited by 484 · see citing works
Incorporating Prior Knowledge into Image Registration
Ashburner, J., Neelin, P., Collins, D. L., Evans, A. C., & Friston, K. J. (1997) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.1997.0299 · Cited by 455 · see citing works
An MRI-Based Probabilistic Atlas of Neuroanatomy
Evans, A. C., Kamber, M., Collins, D. L., & MacDonald, D. J. (1994) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-2546-2_48 · Cited by 449 · see citing works
Disorders of affect regulation: Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness.
Deary, I. J. (1998) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · Cited by 431 · see citing works
Good, C. D., Scahill, R. I., Fox, N. C., Ashburner, J., Friston, K. J., Chan, D., Crum, W. R., Rossor, M. N., & Frackowiak, R. S. J. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1202 · Cited by 410 · see citing works
Impaired self-awareness and theory of mind: An fMRI study of mentalizing in alexithymia
Moriguchi, Y., Ohnishi, T., Lane, R. D., Maeda, M., Mori, T., Nemoto, K., Matsuda, H., & Komaki, G. (2006) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.04.186 · Cited by 397 · see citing works
Computer-assisted imaging to assess brain structure in healthy and diseased brains
Ashburner, J., Csernansk, J. G., Davatzikos, C., Fox, N. C., Frisoni, G. B., & Thompson, P. M. (2003) · The Lancet Neurology · doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(03)00304-1 · Cited by 371 · see citing works
Self-citationLocalization of grasp representations in humans by PET
Rizzolatti, G., Fadiga, L., Matelli, M., Bettinardi, V., Paulesu, E., Perani, D., & Fazio, F. (1996) · Cited by 340 · see citing works
Alexithymia and Interpersonal Problems
Spitzer, C., Siebel, U., Barnow, S., Grabe, H. J., & Freyberger, H. J. (2005) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000085148 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi, L., & Gallese, V. (2006) · Scientific American · doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1106-54 · Cited by 299 · see citing works
Relationships between alexithymia and psychological characteristics associated with eating disorders
Taylor, G. J., Parker, J. D. A., Bagby, R. M., & Bourke, M. P. (1996) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00224-3 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Berthoz, S., Artiges, É., de Moortele, P. V., Poline, J., Rouquette, S., Consoli, S. M., & Martinot, J. (2002) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.6.961 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
Alexithymia and the Recognition of Facial Expressions of Emotion
Parker, J. D. A., Taylor, G. J., & Bagby, M. R. (2010) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000288664 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Modern Trends in Psychosomatic Medicine
(1955) · Postgraduate Medical Journal · doi:10.1136/pgmj.31.355.254 · Cited by 262 · see citing works
Alexithymia and interpersonal problems
Vanheule, S., Desmet, M., Meganck, R., & Bogaerts, S. (2007) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20324 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Magnetic Resonance Scanning and Epilepsy
Shorvon, S. D., Fish, D. R., Andermann, F., Bydder, G. M., & Stefan, H. (1994) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-2546-2 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Specific brain processing of facial expressions in people with alexithymia: an H215O‐PET study
Kano, M., Fukudo, S., Gyoba, J., Kamachi, M., Tagawa, M., Mochizuki, H., Itoh, M., Hongo, M., & Yanai, K. (2003) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awg131 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Alexithymia, empathy, and psychological symptoms in a family context
Guttman, H. A., & Laporte, L. (2002) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1053/comp.2002.35905 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of alexithymia in a population sample of young adults
Kokkonen, P., Karvonen, J. T., Veijola, J. M., Läksy, K., Jokelainen, J. J., Järvelin, M., & Joukamaa, M. (2001) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1053/comp.2001.27892 · Cited by 227 · see citing works
Alexithymia in panic disorder and simple phobia: a comparative study
Parker, J. D., Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Acklin, M. W. (1993) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.150.7.1105 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Dendritic architecture of the von Economo neurons
Watson, K. K., Jones, T., & Allman, J. M. (2006) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.04.084 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
A longitudinal study of alexithymia and psychological distress in inflammatory bowel disease
Porcelli, P., Leoci, C., Guerra, V. S., Taylor, G. J., & Bagby, R. M. (1996) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00221-8 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Relationship between Alexithymia and Panic Disorder: A Longitudinal Study to Answer an Open Question
Marchesi, C., Fontò, S., Balista, C., Cimmino, C., & Maggini, C. (2004) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000082028 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Alexithymia: Relationship to personality disorders
Bach, M., de Zwaan, M., Ackard, D., Nutzinger, D. O., & Mitchell, J. E. (1994) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/0010-440x(94)90197-x · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Alexithymia Correlates With the Size of the Right Anterior Cingulate
Gündel, H., Sala, A. L., Ceballos-Baumann, A., Deus, J., Cardoner, N., Marten-Mittag, B., Soriano‐Mas, C., & Pujol, J. (2004) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000097348.45087.96 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Cortical activation in alexithymia as a response to emotional stimuli
Karlsson, H., Näätänen, P., & Stenman, H. (2008) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.106.034728 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Alexithymia in PTSD: Psychometric and FMRI Studies
FREWEN, P. A., PAIN, C., DOZOIS, D. J. A., & LANIUS, R. A. (2006) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1196/annals.1364.029 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Loas, G., Otmani, O., Lecercle, C., & Jouvent, R. (2000) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/s0165-1781(00)00189-x · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Brain volumes in healthy adults aged 40 years and over: a voxel-based morphometry study
Riello, R., Sabattoli, F., Beltramello, A., Bonetti, M., Bono, G. G., Falini, A., Magnani, G., Minonzio, G., Piovan, E., Alaimo, G., et al. (2005) · Aging Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1007/bf03324618 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Self-citationAftanas, L. I., Алексеевич, В. А., Reva, N. V., & Pavlov, S. V. (2003) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/s0304-3940(03)00070-3 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Association between the Catechol O-Methyltransferase Val108/158Met Polymorphism and Alexithymia
Ham, B., Lee, M., Lee, Y., Kim, M.-K., Choi, M.-J., Oh, K., Jung, H., Lyoo, I. K., & Choi, I.-G. (2005) · Neuropsychobiology · doi:10.1159/000087846 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Schacter, D. L., & Addis, D. R. (2007) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1107-1345 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Is emotion regulation self-regulation?
Northoff, G. (2005) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.06.005 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Vanheule, S., Vandenbergen, J., Desmet, M., Rosseel, Y., & Insleghers, R. (2007) · The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine · doi:10.2190/p474-62h5-2250-w343 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Herbert, B. M., Herbert, C., & Pollatos, O. (2011) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00717.x · Cited by 437 · see citing works
Interoception and psychopathology: A developmental neuroscience perspective
Murphy, J., Brewer, R., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2017) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2016.12.006 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Atypical interoception as a common risk factor for psychopathology: A review
Brewer, R., Murphy, J., & Bird, G. (2021) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.036 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Ernst, J., Böker, H., Hättenschwiler, J., Schüpbach, D., Northoff, G., Seifritz, E., & Grimm, S. (2014) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nst058 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Acquired alexithymia following damage to the anterior insula
Hogeveen, J., Bird, G., Chau, A., Krueger, F., & Grafman, J. (2016) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.01.021 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Sutherland, M. T., Carroll, A. J., Salmeron, B. J., Ross, T. J., & Stein, E. A. (2013) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-013-3018-8 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Brain response during visual emotional processing: an fMRI study of alexithymia
Deng, Y., Ma, X., & Tang, Q. (2013) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.03.007 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Neuroanatomical profiles of alexithymia dimensions and subtypes
Goerlich‐Dobre, K. S., Votinov, M., Habel, U., Pripfl, J., & Lamm, C. (2015) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.22879 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Altered resting state connectivity of the default mode network in alexithymia
Liemburg, E. J., Swart, M., Bruggeman, R., Kortekaas, R., Knegtering, H., Ćurčić-Blake, B., & Aleman, A. (2012) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nss048 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
McIntosh, R. C., Ironson, G., Antoni, M., Kumar, M., Fletcher, M. A., & Schneiderman, N. (2014) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2013.10.024 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Alexithymia impact on type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a case-control study
Mnif, L., Damak, R., Mnif, F., Ouanes, S., Abid, M., Jaoua, A., & Masmoudi, J. (2014) · Annales d'Endocrinologie · doi:10.1016/j.ando.2014.06.001 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
- Authors
- Borsci, G., Boccardi, M., Rossi, R., Rossi, G., Perez, J., Bonetti, M., & Frisoni, G. B.
- Affiliations
- Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Frisoni, Giovanni B.
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-04
- Volume
- 114
- Issue
- 1-3
- Pages
- 208-215
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2146276279
- Cited by
- 96
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 3.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- alexithymia, gray matter volume, brain structure, anterior cingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, anterior insula, orbitofrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus, emotional awareness, women, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, voxel-based morphometry
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affective Symptoms, Aged, Analysis of Variance, Brain, Emotions, Female, Frontal Lobe, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Temporal Lobe
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
