Alexithymia and Impairment of Decoding Positive Affect: An fMRI Study

Colin Hesse; Kory Floyd; Emily A. Rauscher; Nick E. Frye-Cox; John P. Hegarty; Huiling Peng

doi:10.1111/jcom.12039

Alexithymia and Impairment of Decoding Positive Affect: An fMRI Study

Colin Hesse, Kory Floyd, Emily A. Rauscher, Nick E. Frye-Cox, John P. Hegarty, Huiling Peng

Human Communication, Hugh Downs School of

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous research has implicated alexithymia as a psychological impairment to accurately decode emotional messages. This study attempted to explore potential neurological reasons for this impairment. Using functional brain imaging procedures, an experimental design was undertaken to assess group differences between individuals high and low in alexithymia on brain activation while viewing images of individuals displaying neutral or positive affect. While controlling for activation due to neutral affect images, results showed less activation for alexithymic versus nonalexithymic individuals due to positive affect images in several areas of the brain, including the amygdala and the hippocampus. Several implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	786-806
Number of pages	21
Journal	Journal of Communication
Volume	63
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12039
State	Published - Aug 1 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Communication
Language and Linguistics
Linguistics and Language

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10.1111/jcom.12039

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abstract = "Previous research has implicated alexithymia as a psychological impairment to accurately decode emotional messages. This study attempted to explore potential neurological reasons for this impairment. Using functional brain imaging procedures, an experimental design was undertaken to assess group differences between individuals high and low in alexithymia on brain activation while viewing images of individuals displaying neutral or positive affect. While controlling for activation due to neutral affect images, results showed less activation for alexithymic versus nonalexithymic individuals due to positive affect images in several areas of the brain, including the amygdala and the hippocampus. Several implications and directions for future research are also discussed.",

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Alexithymia and Impairment of Decoding Positive Affect: An fMRI Study

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