Alexithymia Is Associated with Altered Cortical Thickness Networks in the General Population.
Alexithymia
Centrality
Connectivity
Correlation networks
Cortex
General population
Journal
Neuropsychobiology
ISSN: 1423-0224
Titre abrégé: Neuropsychobiology
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 7512895
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2020
2020
Historique:
received:
05
06
2019
accepted:
24
11
2019
pubmed:
9
3
2020
medline:
5
1
2021
entrez:
9
3
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions and associated with various psychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging studies found evidence for morphological and functional brain alterations in alexithymic subjects. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alexithymia remain incompletely understood. We study the association of alexithymia with cortical correlation networks in a large community-dwelling sample of the Study of Health in Pomerania. Our analysis includes data of n = 2,199 individuals (49.4% females, age = 52.1 ± 13.6 years) which were divided into a low and high alexithymic group by a median split of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Cortical correlation networks were constructed based on the mean thicknesses of 68 regions, and differences in centralities were investigated. We found a significantly increased centrality of the right paracentral lobule in the high alexithymia network after correction for multiple testing. Several other regions with motoric and sensory functions showed altered centrality on a nominally significant level. Finding increased centrality of the paracentral lobule, a brain area with sensory as well as motoric features and involvement in bowel and bladder voiding, may contribute to explain the association of alexithymia with functional somatic disorders and chronic pain syndromes.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions and associated with various psychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging studies found evidence for morphological and functional brain alterations in alexithymic subjects. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alexithymia remain incompletely understood.
METHODS
METHODS
We study the association of alexithymia with cortical correlation networks in a large community-dwelling sample of the Study of Health in Pomerania. Our analysis includes data of n = 2,199 individuals (49.4% females, age = 52.1 ± 13.6 years) which were divided into a low and high alexithymic group by a median split of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Cortical correlation networks were constructed based on the mean thicknesses of 68 regions, and differences in centralities were investigated.
RESULTS
RESULTS
We found a significantly increased centrality of the right paracentral lobule in the high alexithymia network after correction for multiple testing. Several other regions with motoric and sensory functions showed altered centrality on a nominally significant level.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Finding increased centrality of the paracentral lobule, a brain area with sensory as well as motoric features and involvement in bowel and bladder voiding, may contribute to explain the association of alexithymia with functional somatic disorders and chronic pain syndromes.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32146473
pii: 000504983
doi: 10.1159/000504983
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
233-244Informations de copyright
© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel.