White matter tracts associated with alexithymia and emotion regulation: A diffusion MRI study

Seyedmirzaei, Homa; Shafie, Mahan; Kargar, Amirhosein; Golbahari, Ali; Bijarchian, Motahareh; Ahmadi, Sepide; Shahmohammadi, Alireza; Sadeghi, Mohammad; Aarabi, Mohammad Hadi; Mayeli, Mahsa

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.07.039

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…As reported in previous studies [ 11 - 13 , 21 , 22 ], alexithymia has been associated with alterations in the CC, SLF, and ILF. In the present study, the left ILF was the tract that exhibited statistically significant group-wise difference.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Grabe et al have identified structural alterations of the brain including reductions in volume in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, left inferior temporal gyrus, cerebellum, fusiform gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus in the patients [20]. Moreover, a diffusion MRI connectometry study have reported significant correlation between TAS scores and increased microstructural connectivity in the body of corpus callosum, bilateral fornix, left arcuate fasciculus, corticospinal and cingulum tracts [21]. Despite such efforts in revealing the underlying neural correlates in alexithymia in MDD, the exact underpinning mechanisms remain unclear and there is no sufficient data on the white matter (WM) changes evidenced in alexithymia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Association of White Matter Tracts with Alexithymia among Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder

et al. 2022

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Alexithymia is characterized by impairments in the processing of emotions. Although the disruptions in the white matter (WM) integrity in Major depressive disorder (MDD) has frequently been reported, the underlying relationship with alexithymia remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated WM tracts with Tracts Constrained by UnderLying Anatomy approach to discover potential associations between alexithymia and WM integrity to identify the neural basis of impaired emotional self-awareness in MDD. 101 patients with MDD and 99 healthy sex-and age-matched individuals underwent diffusion-weighted imaging. All participants were assessed with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). TAS scores were significantly higher in MDD patients than in controls. Patients with MDD exhibited significantly lower FA values in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and it also showed negative associations with TAS. These results contribute to the neurobiological evidence on the association between MDD and alexithymia. Additionally, they suggest that reduced white matter integrity in the regions constitutes a principal pathophysiology underlying impaired emotional recognition and description in MDD.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association of White Matter Tracts with Alexithymia among Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder

et al. 2022

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“…The method has been applied to study white matter changes in the OCD (Correia et al, 2008;Piras et al, 2021a, b, c). DTI has been widely used in neurodevelopmental (Abdolalizadeh et al, 2021;Ghazi Sherbaf et al, 2019;Piras et al, 2021a, b, c;Piras et al, 2013) and neurocognitive studies too (Seyedmirzaei et al, 2022).…”

Section: Diffusion Tensor Imaging and White Matter Alterationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

White matter abnormalities in paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder: a systematic review of diffusion tensor imaging studies

Haghshomar

Shobeiri

James

et al. 2023

Brain Imaging and Behavior

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Microstructural alterations in white matter are evident in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) both in adult and paediatric populations. Paediatric patients go through the process of maturation and thus may undergo different pathophysiology than adult OCD. Findings from studies in paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder have been inconsistent, possibly due to their small sample size or heterogeneous populations. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of white matter structures in paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder and their correlation with clinical features. Based on PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic search on diffusion tensor imaging studies that reported fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, or axial diffusivity alterations between paediatric patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and healthy controls using voxel-based analysis, or tract‐based spatial statistics. We identified fifteen relevant studies. Most studies reported changes predominantly in the corpus callosum, cingulum, arcuate fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, corticospinal tract, forceps minor and major, and the cerebellum in paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder. These alterations included increased and decreased fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity, and increased mean and axial diffusivity in different white matter tracts. These changes were associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms. Moreover, specific genetic polymorphisms were linked with cerebellar white matter changes in paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder. White matter changes are widespread in paediatric OCD patients. These changes are often associated with symptoms however there are controversies in the direction of changes in some tracts.

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“…On the other hand, the integrity of the IFOF and IFL is also known to be linked to cognitive control processes such as attentional control ( Leng et al, 2016 ; Sani et al, 2021 ), goal-directed behavior ( Johnson et al, 2013 ; Conner et al, 2018 ), and emotion regulation ( Liao et al, 2014 ; Graziano et al, 2022 ). Interestingly, emotion regulation processes have been consistently associated with the integrity of the arcuate fasciculus ( Allan et al, 2016 ; David et al, 2020 ; Seyedmirzaei et al, 2022 ). For example, decreased integrity in the arcuate fasciculus is associated with aggression and anger problems in veterans ( David et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, decreased integrity in the arcuate fasciculus is associated with aggression and anger problems in veterans ( David et al, 2020 ). Another study showed that integrity of the arcuate fasciculus is positively correlated to performance in emotion regulation and alexithymia (inability to identify emotions) tasks, with those having better-preserved integrity showing better scores in the instruments ( Seyedmirzaei et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of loneliness and social adaptation on depressive symptoms: Behavioral and brain measures evidence from a brain health perspective

́Byrne

Gonzalez-Gomez²,

Sepúlveda³

et al. 2023

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionEarly detection of depression is a cost-effective way to prevent adverse outcomes on brain physiology, cognition, and health. Here we propose that loneliness and social adaptation are key factors that can anticipate depressive symptoms.MethodsWe analyzed data from two separate samples to evaluate the associations between loneliness, social adaptation, depressive symptoms, and their neural correlates.ResultsFor both samples, hierarchical regression models on self-reported data showed that loneliness and social adaptation have negative and positive effects on depressive symptoms. Moreover, social adaptation reduces the impact of loneliness on depressive symptoms. Structural connectivity analysis showed that depressive symptoms, loneliness, and social adaptation share a common neural substrate. Furthermore, functional connectivity analysis demonstrated that only social adaptation was associated with connectivity in parietal areas.DiscussionAltogether, our results suggest that loneliness is a strong risk factor for depressive symptoms while social adaptation acts as a buffer against the ill effects of loneliness. At the neuroanatomical level, loneliness and depression may affect the integrity of white matter structures known to be associated to emotion dysregulation and cognitive impairment. On the other hand, socio-adaptive processes may protect against the harmful effects of loneliness and depression. Structural and functional correlates of social adaptation could indicate a protective role through long and short-term effects, respectively. These findings may aid approaches to preserve brain health via social participation and adaptive social behavior.

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White matter tracts associated with alexithymia and emotion regulation: A diffusion MRI study

Cited by 8 publications

References 45 publications

The Association of White Matter Tracts with Alexithymia among Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder

The Association of White Matter Tracts with Alexithymia among Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder

White matter abnormalities in paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder: a systematic review of diffusion tensor imaging studies

The impact of loneliness and social adaptation on depressive symptoms: Behavioral and brain measures evidence from a brain health perspective

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