Gündel Harald, Greiner Alexandra, Ceballos-Baumann Andres O, Von Rad Michael, Förstl Hans, Jahn Thomas
Institut und Poliklinik für Psychosomatische Medizin, Psychotherapie und Medizinische Psychologie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU München, Germany.
Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2002 Nov;52(11):461-8. doi: 10.1055/s-2002-35277.
The purpose of this study was to assess whether alexithymia is a risk factor for autonomic dysregulation in cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis, ST). Alexithymia was assessed by an authorized German version of the TAS-20. In a first step, we recruited 10 ST-patients with high alexithymia scores (> 62; M = 69.2, SD = 3.0) and compared them with 10 ST-patients with low alexithymia scores (< 35; M = 28.7, SD = 4.3) on physiological and subjective responses to a cognitive and an emotional laboratory stressor. High-alexithymic ST-patients generally showed increased levels of autonomic arousal (higher SCL, more NS.SCF and lower T; 0.016 </= p </= 0.065) under all experimental conditions. In a second step, we used a less extreme alexithymia-definition (high >/= 57 vs. low </= 36) in a sample of 2 x 20 probands and found no significant differences. Our results suggest a chronically increased level of sympathetic activation in high-alexithymic patients with spasmodic torticollis.
