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Lanzara R, Conti C, Lalli V, Cannizzaro P, Affaitati GP, Giamberardino MA, Williams A, Porcelli P. Emotions in search of words: Does alexithymia predict treatment outcome in chronic musculoskeletal pain? Stress Health 2024:e3436. [PMID: 38896506 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Chronic pain, with its complex and multidimensional nature, poses significant challenges in identifying effective long-term treatments. There is growing scientific interest in how psychopathological and personality dimensions may influence the maintenance and development of chronic pain. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether alexithymia can predict the improvement of pain severity following a treatment-as-usual programme for chronic musculoskeletal pain over and above psychological cofactors (emotional distress, catastrophizing, and self-efficacy). A consecutive sample of 129 patients with diagnosed chronic musculoskeletal pain referred to two tertiary care centres was recruited and treated for 16 weeks. Clinical pain, psychological distress, self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and alexithymia were assessed with validated self-report measures at the first medical visit (T0) and at 16-week follow-up (T1). Compared with non-responder patients (n = 72, 55.8%), those who responded (i.e., reduction of >30% in pain severity; n = 57, 44.2%) reported an overall improvement in psychological variables except alexithymia. Alexithymia showed relative stability between baseline and follow-up within the entire sample and remained a significant predictor of treatment outcome even when other predictive cofactors (i.e., pain interference, depressive symptoms, and catastrophizing) were considered simultaneously. Our results suggest that identifying patients with a co-occurrence between alexithymia, depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and the stressful experience of chronic pain can be clinically relevant in pain prevention and intervention programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Lanzara
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Chiara Conti
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Vittorio Lalli
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Regional Pain Unit, University Hospital SS. Annunziata, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paolo Cannizzaro
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Regional Pain Unit, University Hospital SS. Annunziata, Chieti, Italy
| | - Gianna Pia Affaitati
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine & Dentistry, University "Gabriele d'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy
| | - Maria Adele Giamberardino
- Department of Medicine and Science of Aging, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Alison Williams
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Piero Porcelli
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Van der Auwera S, Ameling S, Nauck M, Völzke H, Völker U, Grabe HJ. Plasma circulating micro-RNAs associated with alexithymia reflect a high overlap on neuropsychiatric outcomes. J Affect Disord 2022; 305:206-212. [PMID: 35283179 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alexithymia ("no word for feelings") is a personality feature that is common in patients with psychiatric disorders. However, little is known about biological causes and mechanism behind. Research so far focusses on genetic risk variants primary associated with depression, but analyses on epigenetic mechanisms are still missing. METHODS In a sample of n = 813 subjects from the "Study of Health in Pomerania" we analyzed the association between alexithymia and plasma circulating micro RNAs (miRNA). Significant miRNAs were compared to associations regarding depression and pathway analyses were performed. RESULTS Two miRNAs were significantly associated with at least one of the alexithymia scores (hsa-miR-324-3p, hsa-miR-33a-5p) and three miRNAs additionally revealed a strong association pattern to alexithymia (hsa-miR-106b-5p, hsa-miR-484, hsa-miR-25-3p). None of these miRNAs was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in our sample. Literature research showed that all of the miRNAs have been found in association with several neuropsychiatric phenotypes. LIMITATIONS Main limitations are the lack of a replication sample as well as the limited number of miRNAs analyzed. CONCLUSIONS This is the first analysis investigating the association between miRNAs and alexithymia. Results indicate that miRNAs are not specific for one psychiatric disorder but may influence biological mechanisms that are involved in various psychiatric conditions which might be relevant for future treatment options and improve the biological understanding of psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Van der Auwera
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Sabine Ameling
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Matthias Nauck
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.; Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Henry Völzke
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.; Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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Influence of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Gene Polymorphism on the Correlation between Alexithymia and Hypervigilance to Pain. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182413265. [PMID: 34948872 PMCID: PMC8704340 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182413265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The psychological characteristic of having difficulty expressing emotions, known as alexithymia, is associated with hypervigilance to pain and is considered one of the risk factors for chronic pain. The correlation between alexithymia and hypervigilance to pain can be observed even in healthy individuals. However, the factors influencing this correlation remain unknown. We explored the dopamine system, which is known to be involved in emotion and pain. The dopamine-degrading enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) has a genetic polymorphism known to influence dopamine metabolism in the prefrontal cortex. COMT polymorphism reportedly affects various aspects of pain and increases pain sensitivity in Met allele carriers. Therefore, we investigated whether the correlation between alexithymia and hypervigilance to pain is influenced by COMT polymorphism in healthy individuals. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between the "difficulty describing feelings" of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the "attention to changes in pain" of the pain vigilance and awareness questionnaire in COMT Met carriers but not in Val/Val individuals. This finding suggests that the correlation between alexithymia and hypervigilance to pain is influenced by COMT polymorphism.
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Terock J, Weihs A, Teumer A, Klinger-König J, Janowitz D, Grabe HJ. Associations and interactions of the serotonin receptor genes 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and childhood trauma with alexithymia in two independent general-population samples. Psychiatry Res 2021; 298:113783. [PMID: 33567384 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies suggested that childhood trauma and a disturbed serotonergic neurotransmission are involved in the pathogenesis of alexithymia. Specifically, genetic polymorphisms of the serotonin receptors 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A were found to be associated with alexithymia. However, it is unclear whether these factors show main or interaction effects with childhood trauma on alexithymia. Data from two independent general-population cohorts of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-Trend: N=3,706, Age: range=20-83, 51.6% female, SHIP-LEGEND: N=2,162, Age: range=20-80, 52.5% female) were used. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were applied. Genotypes of rs6295 of 5-HT1A and rs6311 of 5-HT2A were determined. Ordinary least-squared regression models with robust standard errors were applied to investigate associations of the main and interaction effects of childhood maltreatment and the polymorphisms with alexithymia. Childhood trauma, but none of the investigated polymorphisms showed main effects on alexithymia. However, childhood trauma showed significant CTQ sum score x rs6295 interactions in male subjects in both samples such that the presence of the G-allele diminished the CTQ associated increase in the TAS-20 sum scores. Our results support a strong role of early life stress and interactions with rs6295 on alexithymic personality features at least in male subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Terock
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, HELIOS Hanseklinikum Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany.
| | - Antoine Weihs
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Teumer
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Johanna Klinger-König
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Deborah Janowitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DZNE, Site Rostock/ Greifswald, Germany
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The rs6311 of serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A) gene is associated with alexithymia and mental health. J Affect Disord 2020; 272:277-282. [PMID: 32553368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS Alexithymia, difficulties in identifying and describing one's own feelings, is related to substantial clinical practice. Inspired by the links between serotonin functions and affective disorders, this study investigated associations of the serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A) gene with alexithymia and mental health. METHODS We differentiated subjects according to two functional polymorphisms (i.e., rs6311 and rs6313) of 5-HT2A gene and scored alexithymia and mental health of college students with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), respectively. RESULTS The analyses basing on sample 1 (N = 566) and sample 2 (N = 602) indicated that the G allele of rs6311 was related to higher score on the TAS-20 as compared to the AA genotype. The analysis with 467 individuals from sample 2 indicated that the rs6311 was associated with mental health, and this association was mediated by alexithymia. LIMITATIONS The potential confounding variables such as depression and anxiety were neglected in the analyses. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate the contribution of the 5-HT2A to alexithymia, and highlight the link between alexithymia and mental health at genetic level.
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Yang Y, Wang C, Li X, Yu R, Zhang M, Xue M, Guo W, He L, Gao X, Gong P. The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism impacts moral permissibility of impersonal harmful behaviors. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:911-918. [PMID: 31506681 PMCID: PMC6847979 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Inspired by the roles of serotonin in an emotional aversion to harmful actions, we examined to what extent serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT)–linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), a proxy for measuring serotonin function, underpinned the individual differences in moral judgment through cross-sectional analysis and two-wave comparison. The cross-sectional analysis with a larger cohort (N = 1197) showed that the SS carriers of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, corresponding to the low ratio of serotonin recycling from the synaptic cleft, rated impersonal harmful actions (e.g. flipping a switch to divert a train to hit one person instead of five people) as more permissible as compared with the L-allele carriers. The two-wave comparison with a subsample from the larger cohort (N = 563) indicated that the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and moral permissibility of impersonal harmful actions was stable from wave 1 to wave 2. Thus, these findings highlight the importance of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism to harmful moral behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafang Yang
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Chunlan Wang
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaohan Li
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570
| | - Mengfei Zhang
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Mengying Xue
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Wenxuan Guo
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Linlin He
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaocai Gao
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
| | - Pingyuan Gong
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.,College of Medicine, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.,Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.,Institute of Population and Health, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China
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Akhtar MJ, Yar MS, Grover G, Nath R. Neurological and psychiatric management using COMT inhibitors: A review. Bioorg Chem 2020; 94:103418. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Alexithymer Patient. PSYCHOTHERAPEUT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00278-019-0363-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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