Aging and alexithymia: association with reduced right rostral cingulate volume
Sergio Paradiso1, Jatin G Vaidya, Laurie M McCormick
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. sergio-paradiso@uiowa.edu
Summary
Older age is linked to higher alexithymia, characterized by difficulty identifying emotions. This is associated with reduced gray matter volume in the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Gerontology
Background:
- Alexithymia, the inability to identify and describe emotions, is more prevalent in older adults.
- The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), crucial for emotional processing, undergoes age-related structural changes.
- Right hemisphere regions, including the ACC, are implicated in affective processing and may be affected by aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that reduced anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volume mediates the relationship between older age and alexithymia.
- To explore the correlation between specific ACC subregions, age, and alexithymia features.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess brain structure in 24 healthy volunteers (aged 24-79).
- Employed in-house developed methods for ACC parcellation and analyzed correlations between ACC subregions, age, and alexithymia scores (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale).
Main Results:
- Older age positively correlated with higher alexithymia scores and reduced gray matter volume in bilateral rostral and right dorsal ACC.
- Higher alexithymia scores were associated with reduced right rostral ACC volume, particularly related to attention diversion from internal feelings.
Conclusions:
- Structural changes in the right rostral ACC may underlie alexithymia observed in older individuals.
- Findings suggest a neuroanatomical basis for age-related alexithymia.
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