Department of Human Life Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minamiku, Fukuoka, 815-8540, Japan.
Department of Kansei Science, Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Science, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minamiku, Fukuoka, 815-8540, Japan.
J Physiol Anthropol. 2023 Sep 6;42(1):18. doi: 10.1186/s40101-023-00336-1.
Alexithymia, a personality trait characterized by difficulties in identifying and expressing their emotions despite having a range of emotional experiences, can impact individuals' stress coping mechanisms. While many studies have investigated brain functions associated with specific tasks in relation to emotion processing, research focusing on resting-state brain functions has been limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and brain function by analyzing arterial spin labeling (ASL) data obtained during the resting state.
A brain structural and functional imaging study was conducted on 42 healthy adult men and women using ASL and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) questionnaire survey. Cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity values were calculated for regions of interest in the default mode network, saliency network, and central executive network from the ASL data. Correlation analysis was performed with TAS20 scores, and partial correlation analysis was conducted to control for anxiety and depression.
The functional connectivity analysis revealed a negative correlation between the functional connectivity of the right insular cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex and the total score of TAS, as well as difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feeling subscores, indicating that the higher the scores, the weaker the functional connectivity between these regions (T = -3.830, p = 0.0013, R = -0.5180). This correlation remained significant even after controlling for anxiety and depression using partial correlation analysis.
The present study revealed differences in the activity of the Saliency Network at rest as measured by ASL, which were independent of anxiety and depression, and varied depending on the severity of alexithymia. This functional change may underlie the neural basis of decreased emotional processing observed in alexithymia. These findings may contribute to the elucidation of the neural mechanisms of alexithymia, which can lead to social impairments, and suggest the usefulness of ASL measurement as a biomarker of alexithymia.
尽管经历了各种情感体验，但存在难以识别和表达自己的情感的特质，即述情障碍，可能会影响个体的应对压力的机制。虽然许多研究都调查了与情绪处理相关的特定任务的大脑功能，但针对静息状态大脑功能的研究有限。因此，本研究旨在通过分析静息状态下的动脉自旋标记（ASL）数据，探讨述情障碍与大脑功能之间的关系。
对 42 名健康成年男性和女性进行了脑结构和功能成像研究，使用 ASL 和 20 项多伦多述情障碍量表（TAS-20）问卷调查。从 ASL 数据中计算默认模式网络、突显网络和中央执行网络的感兴趣区域的脑血流和功能连接值。使用 TAS20 评分进行相关性分析，并进行偏相关分析以控制焦虑和抑郁。
功能连接分析显示，右侧岛叶和左侧前扣带回皮质的功能连接与 TAS 总分以及难以识别情绪和难以描述情绪的子分数呈负相关，表明分数越高，这些区域之间的功能连接越弱（T = -3.830，p = 0.0013，R = -0.5180）。即使使用偏相关分析控制焦虑和抑郁，这种相关性仍然显著。
本研究揭示了 ASL 测量的突显网络在静息状态下的活动存在差异，这些差异与焦虑和抑郁无关，并且取决于述情障碍的严重程度。这种功能变化可能是述情障碍中观察到的情绪处理能力下降的神经基础。这些发现可能有助于阐明述情障碍的神经机制，这可能导致社交障碍，并表明 ASL 测量作为述情障碍生物标志物的有用性。
