Alexithymia and facial emotion recognition in patients with functional neurological disorder

Patients with functional neurological disorder (FND) are known to have difficulties recognizing and processing emotions. Problems recognizing internal emotional states (alexithymia) are common in FND, but little is known about recognizing emotions expressed by other people. This study investigates whether patients with FND have higher levels of alexithymia and reduced facial emotion recognition compared to healthy controls.

Patients with FND (n = 31, mean age=42.7 [SD=14.8] years, 54.8% women) were compared to healthy controls (n = 33, mean age=45.1 [SD=16.2] years, 63.6% women). The Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) was used for the assessment of alexithymia and the Ekman 60 Faces Test (EFT) for facial emotion recognition.

Patients with FND had higher levels of alexithymia than healthy controls (BVAQ=71.8 [SD=19.8] versus 59.3 [SD=20.3], p = .02, Cohen's d=0.62). Facial emotion recognition did not significantly differ between FND patients and controls (EFT total score FND: 46.1 [SD=5.9], Controls: 47.5 [SD=5.5], p = .34, Cohen's d=0.24). Only recognition of surprise differed between patients and controls (FND: 8.4 [SD=1.8], Controls: 9.2 [SD=1.0), p = .03, Cohen's d= 0.56). Higher levels of alexithymia were associated with poorer facial emotion recognition, but this relationship was not statistically significant (FND: β= -0.20, p = .28; Controls: β=-0.03; p = .87).

The current data confirm prior observations that patients with FND have higher alexithymia levels than controls without FND. Difficulties recognizing emotions among patients with FND primarily involves recognition of internal emotional states rather than recognition of facially expressed emotions by others. These findings require replication in a larger and more divers sample.