1. MRI for reading mind : An fMRI study of recognition of self and others

Yoshiya Moriguchi
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health,National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry

Abstract

　　Alexithymia, proposed as a common personality trait in psychosomatic patients, is characterized by difficulty in identifying and describing the feeling of the self. On the other hand, alexithymia has also been found in a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders featured by a dominant disability of recognition of others’mental states or intentions, suggesting common（neural）components of representing self and others. Using fMRI, we investigated the neuronal basis of 1）mentalizing, 2）empathy（observing and judging others’pain）, and 3）the mirror neuron system in alexithymia. The results from the mentalizing study showed an attenuation of activity within the right medial prefrontal cortex（MPFC）in the group with high alexithymia. Across subjects, activity within the MPFC correlated positively with the mentalizing score and, most prominently, the‘perspective-taking’score. In the pain-perception study the alexithymia group showed attenuation of cerebral activity within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex（DLPFC）, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex（dACC）, dorsal pons and cerebellum in response to painful pictures. Furthermore, alexithymic participants scored lower on the pain ratings and on the scores related to mature empathy. The alexithymia group showed rather stronger activity in mirror neuron network, suggesting that individuals with alexithymia incline to a more basic level of understanding of others’intentions. Together these studies highlight a common neural component supporting the understanding of the self and others.

Keywords： Alexithymia, fMRI, Mentalizing