Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
10:31
Non-invasive Imaging and Analysis of Cerebral Ischemia in Living Rats Using Positron Emission Tomography with 18F-FDG
Published on: December 28, 2014
Alexithymia-like disorder in right anterior cingulate infarction
Ralf Schäfer1, Kerstin Popp, Silke Jörgens
1Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Neurocase
|September 6, 2007
Summary
Damage to frontal midline brain structures, specifically the anterior cingulate, can cause alexithymia-like disorders and impair emotional face perception. This highlights the role of these areas in affective behavior control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Neurology
Background:
- Frontal midline structures, including the anterior cingulate cortex, are implicated in the affective control of human behavior.
- Limited understanding exists regarding behavioral abnormalities following damage to these specific brain regions due to disease rarity.
Observation:
- A case study of a patient with a right anterior cingulate infarct is presented.
- The patient exhibited an alexithymia-like disorder following the infarct.
- Event-related potentials indicated an abnormality in emotional face perception within the right cerebral hemisphere.
Findings:
- The anterior cingulate lesion appears to induce a deficit in emotion processing.
- Emotional face perception is specifically affected, suggesting a role for the anterior cingulate in this process.
- This deficit may result from interference within a critical node of a large-scale neural network.
Implications:
- This case underscores the anterior cingulate cortex's crucial role in affective control and emotion processing.
- Understanding such lesions provides insights into the neural basis of alexithymia and emotional perception.
- Findings contribute to the broader understanding of large-scale brain networks involved in regulating human behavior.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Transient Ischemic Attack l: Introduction
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by a temporary, focal reduction in cerebral blood flow. Although symptoms resemble those of an ischemic stroke, the interruption in perfusion is short-lived and does not cause permanent infarction. TIAs are clinically important because they often serve as early warning events for future stroke.Mechanisms of Transient Cerebral IschemiaTransient cerebral ischemia may arise through several mechanisms. One...
01:19Acute Coronary Syndrome II: Pathophysiology and Clinical Manifestations
The pathophysiology of Acute Coronary Syndrome [ACD] involves several key processes:The main underlying cause of ACD is atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the buildup of lipid-laden plaques within the coronary arteries.As the atherosclerotic plaque grows in the coronary artery, it may become unstable due to the formation of a lipid-rich core and a thin fibrous cap. Inflammatory cells within the plaque, such as macrophages, secrete enzymes that degrade the...
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome I: Introduction
Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) encompasses a spectrum of heart conditions caused by sudden obstruction of coronary arteries, typically resulting from the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque and subsequent thrombus (blood clot) formation. This obstruction can lead to partial or complete blockage of blood flow, causing varying degrees of myocardial ischemia or infarction.ACS includes the following clinical entities:Unstable Angina (UA)Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI)ST-Elevation...
01:15Ischemic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
An ischemic stroke occurs when a cerebral blood vessel becomes obstructed, most often by a thrombus or embolus, interrupting the delivery of oxygen and glucose to brain tissue. Because neurons rely on continuous aerobic metabolism, energy failure begins within minutes of reduced perfusion. The region receiving the least blood flow becomes the infarct core, an area of irreversible cellular death. Surrounding this core lies the penumbra, a zone of hypoperfused but still viable tissue that is...
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
01:15Ischemic Stroke l: Introduction
Ischemic stroke is an acute cerebrovascular condition in which blood flow to a brain region is suddenly interrupted, leading to tissue infarction. Neurons depend on continuous oxygen and glucose supply, so even brief reductions in perfusion cause energy failure, ionic imbalance, and irreversible injury. Ischemic strokes are classified into thrombotic and embolic types based on their underlying mechanisms.Thrombotic MechanismsThrombotic stroke develops when a clot forms within a cerebral artery.