Abstract
Alexithymia is a personality trait involving deficits in emotional processing. The personality construct has been extensively validated, but the underlying neural and physiological systems remain controversial. One theory suggests that low-level somatosensory mechanisms act as somatic markers of emotion, underpinning cognitive and affective impairments in alexithymia. In two separate samples (total N=100), we used an established Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) battery to probe multiple neurophysiological submodalities of somatosensation, and investigated their associations with the widely-used Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Experiment one found reduced sensitivity to warmth in people with higher alexithymia scores, compared to individuals with lower scores, without deficits in other somatosensory submodalities. Experiment two replicated this result in a new group of participants using a full-sample correlation between threshold for warm detection and TAS-20 scores. We discuss the relations between low-level thermoceptive function and cognitive processing of emotion.
Highlights
Alexithymia is a multifaceted personality construct, expressed with varying intensity in the general population
Participants were included in the study if i) they had no history of neurological, major medical or psychiatric disorder and ii) their scores on the TAS-20 and the DCPR were congruent
We found no significant differences between the high alexithymia and low alexithymia groups in cold detection, pinprick radiant heat pain threshold, somatosensory detection, tactile acuity detection, affective touch (Fig. 1), and interoceptive sensitivity
Summary
Alexithymia is a multifaceted personality construct, expressed with varying intensity in the general population. People with high levels of alexithymia exhibit difficulties in processing their own emotions, and in processing the emotions expressed by others (Borhani, Borgomaneri, Làdavas, & Bertini, 2016; Jessimer & Markham, 1997; Parker et al, 1993; Parker, Prkachin, & Prkachin, 2005; Scarpazza, Di. Pellegrino, & Làdavas, 2014; Sifneos, 1973). Emotion-specific responses have been reported in primary somatosensory cortex (Sel, Forster, & Calvo-Merino, 2014). Such theories suggest that alexithymia might involve abnormalities of somatosensory or autonomic processing. Disruption in regulation of emotions in alexithymia, negative emotions, is thought to result in chronic sympathetic hyperarousal, high sensitivity to painful stimulation, somatosensory amplification
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