Dokument-ID Dokumenttyp Verfasser/Autoren Herausgeber Haupttitel Abstract Auflage Verlagsort Verlag Erscheinungsjahr Seitenzahl Schriftenreihe Titel Schriftenreihe Bandzahl ISBN Quelle der Hochschulschrift Konferenzname Bemerkung Quelle:Titel Quelle:Jahrgang Quelle:Heftnummer Quelle:Erste Seite Quelle:Letzte Seite URN DOI Zugriffsart Link Abteilungen OPUS4-5123 Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Heinzel, Alexander, ; Schäfer, Ralf, ; Müller, Hans-Wilhelm, ; Schieffer, Andre, schieffer@fh-aachen.de; Ingenhag, Ariane, ; Eickhoff, Simon B., ; Northoff, Georg, ; Franz, Matthias, ; Hautzel, Hubertus, Increased Activation of the Supragenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex during Visual Emotional Processing in Male Subjects with High Degrees of Alexithymia: An Event-Related fMRI Study Background: One of the most prominent neurobiological models of alexithymia assumes an altered function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as the crucial neural correlate of alexithymia. So far functional imaging studies have yielded inconclusive results. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in healthy alexithymics and nonalexithymics in an event-related fMRI study. Methods: Thirty high- and 30 low-alexithymic right-handed male subjects (selected by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20) were investigated with event-related fMRI using a picture viewing paradigm. The stimuli consisted of happy, fearful and neutral facial expressions (Ekman-Friesen) as well as positive, negative and neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Results: Contrasting the high-alexithymic with the low-alexithymic group we observed increased activation of the supragenual ACC for different emotional valences as well as for different emotional stimuli. Moreover, there was a positive correlation of the ACC with the individual TAS-20 scores but no correlations with the individual Beck Depression Inventory scores. Additionally, there was no difference in activity of the amygdala. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the supragenual ACC is constantly activated more strongly in alexithymic subjects and that this activation is related to the symptoms of alexithymia and not to associated symptoms such as depression. Therefore, our findings support the hypothesis of an altered function of the ACC in alexithymia. 2010 7 Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 79 6 363 370 campus http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000320121 Fachbereich Medizintechnik und Technomathematik OPUS4-5124 Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Heinzel, Alexander, ; Schäfer, Ralf, ; Müller, Hans-Wilhelm, ; Schieffer, Andre, schieffer@fh-aachen.de; Ingenhag, Ariane, ; Northoff, Georg, ; Franz, Matthias, ; Hautzel, Hubertus, Differential modulation of valence and arousal in high-alexithymic and low-alexithymic individuals High-alexithymic individuals are characterized by an impaired ability to identify and communicate emotions whereas low-alexithymic individuals have a wide-ranging ability to deal with emotions. This study examined the hypothesis that valence and arousal modifications of emotional stimuli differentially modulate cortical regions in high-alexithymic and low-alexithymic individuals. To this end, 28 high-alexithymic and 25 low-alexithymic individuals were investigated with event-related fMRI using visual emotional stimuli. We found differential neural activations in the dorsal anterior cingulate, the insula and the amygdala. We suggest that these differences may account for the impaired ability of high-alexithymic individuals to appropriately handle emotional stimuli. 2010 4 Neuroreport 21 1473-558X 15 998 1002 bezahl http://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/Abstract/2010/10270/Differential_modulation_of_valence_and_arousal_in.8.aspx Fachbereich Medizintechnik und Technomathematik