Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Bates College, 4 Andrews Road, Lewiston, ME 04240, USA.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2011 Oct;6(5):582-90. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsq084. Epub 2010 Oct 7.
Coping with stressful life events requires a degree of skill in the ability to attend to, comprehend, label, communicate and regulate emotions. Individuals vary in the extent to which these skills are developed, with the term 'alexithymia' often applied in the clinical and personality literature to those individuals most compromised in these skills. Although a frontal lobe model of alexithymia is emerging, it is unclear whether such a model satisfactorily reflects brain-related patterns associated with perceived emotional intelligence at the facet level. To determine whether these trait meta-mood facets (ability to attend to, have clarity of and repair emotions) have unique gray matter volume correlates, a voxel-based morphometry study was conducted in 30 healthy adults using the Trait Meta Mood Scale while co-varying for potentially confounding sociodemographic variables. Poorer Attention to Emotion was associated with lower gray matter volume in clusters distributed primarily throughout the frontal lobe, with peak correlation in the left medial frontal gyrus. Poorer Mood Repair was related to lower gray matter volume in three clusters in frontal and inferior parietal areas, with peak correlation in the left anterior cingulate. No significant volumetric correlations emerged for the Clarity of Emotion facet. We discuss the localization of these areas in the context of cortical circuits known to be involved in processes of self-reflection and cognitive control.
应对充满压力的生活事件需要一定的技能，包括关注、理解、标记、交流和调节情绪的能力。个体在这些技能的发展程度上存在差异，“述情障碍”一词在临床和人格文献中常被用于那些在这些技能上最受影响的个体。尽管述情障碍的额叶模型正在出现，但尚不清楚该模型是否能令人满意地反映与感知情绪智力相关的与大脑相关的模式。为了确定这些特质元情绪方面（注意、清晰和修复情绪的能力）是否具有独特的灰质体积相关性，对 30 名健康成年人进行了基于体素的形态测量学研究，他们在使用特质元情绪量表的同时，共变了潜在的混杂社会人口统计学变量。情绪注意力较差与额叶主要分布的簇中的灰质体积降低有关，左内侧额回的相关性最强。情绪修复能力较差与额叶和下顶叶区域的三个簇中的灰质体积降低有关，左前扣带回的相关性最强。情感清晰方面没有出现显著的体积相关性。我们将这些区域的定位与已知参与自我反思和认知控制过程的皮质回路联系起来进行讨论。
