Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing
In this review, we explore current literature and assess evidence linking secondary (acquired) alexithymia to aberrant humor processing, in terms of their neurobiological underpinnings. In addition, we suggest a possible common neuropathological substrate between secondary alexithymia and deficits i...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | Behavioural Neurology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1803624 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849307625148121088 |
|---|---|
| author | Panayiotis Patrikelis Giuliana Lucci Athanasia Alexoudi Stefanos Korfias Lambros Messinis Grigorios Nasios Themistoklis Papasilekas Damianos Sakas Stylianos Gatzonis |
| author_facet | Panayiotis Patrikelis Giuliana Lucci Athanasia Alexoudi Stefanos Korfias Lambros Messinis Grigorios Nasios Themistoklis Papasilekas Damianos Sakas Stylianos Gatzonis |
| author_sort | Panayiotis Patrikelis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this review, we explore current literature and assess evidence linking secondary (acquired) alexithymia to aberrant humor processing, in terms of their neurobiological underpinnings. In addition, we suggest a possible common neuropathological substrate between secondary alexithymia and deficits in humor appreciation, by drawing on neurophysiologic and neuroradiological evidence, as well as on a recent and unique single-case study showing the cooccurrence of secondary alexithymia and deficit in humor appreciation. In summary, what emerges from the literature is that the cortical midline structures, in particular the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the insular cortex, seem to play a crucial role in the expression of both alexithymia and defective humor processing, while though to a lesser extent, a right hemisphere and bilateral frontoparietal contribution becomes evident. Neurobiological evidence of secondary alexithymia and aberrant humor processing points to the putative role of ACC/mPFC and the insular cortex in representing crucial processing nodes whose damage may produce both the above clinical conditions. We believe that the association of secondary alexithymia and aberrant humor processing, especially humor appreciation deficit, and their correlation with specific brain regions, mainly ACG/mPFC, as emerged from the literature, may be of some heuristic importance. Increased awareness on this topic may be of aid for neurosurgeons when accessing emotion-relevant structures, as well as for neuropsychologists to intensify their efforts to plan evidence-based neurorehabilitative interventions to alleviate the deleterious effects of such interpersonal communication deficits. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2acbf73f532645ecb20373c5a1219b5d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0953-4180 1875-8584 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioural Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-2acbf73f532645ecb20373c5a1219b5d2025-08-20T03:54:42ZengWileyBehavioural Neurology0953-41801875-85842019-01-01201910.1155/2019/18036241803624Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor ProcessingPanayiotis Patrikelis0Giuliana Lucci1Athanasia Alexoudi2Stefanos Korfias3Lambros Messinis4Grigorios Nasios5Themistoklis Papasilekas6Damianos Sakas7Stylianos Gatzonis8First Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GreeceDepartment of Technologies, Communication and Society, International University of Rome “G. Marconi”, ItalyFirst Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GreeceFirst Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GreeceNeuropsychology Section, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, University Hospital of Patras and University of Patras Medical School, GreeceDepartment of Speech and Language Therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, GreeceFirst Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GreeceFirst Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GreeceFirst Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GreeceIn this review, we explore current literature and assess evidence linking secondary (acquired) alexithymia to aberrant humor processing, in terms of their neurobiological underpinnings. In addition, we suggest a possible common neuropathological substrate between secondary alexithymia and deficits in humor appreciation, by drawing on neurophysiologic and neuroradiological evidence, as well as on a recent and unique single-case study showing the cooccurrence of secondary alexithymia and deficit in humor appreciation. In summary, what emerges from the literature is that the cortical midline structures, in particular the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the insular cortex, seem to play a crucial role in the expression of both alexithymia and defective humor processing, while though to a lesser extent, a right hemisphere and bilateral frontoparietal contribution becomes evident. Neurobiological evidence of secondary alexithymia and aberrant humor processing points to the putative role of ACC/mPFC and the insular cortex in representing crucial processing nodes whose damage may produce both the above clinical conditions. We believe that the association of secondary alexithymia and aberrant humor processing, especially humor appreciation deficit, and their correlation with specific brain regions, mainly ACG/mPFC, as emerged from the literature, may be of some heuristic importance. Increased awareness on this topic may be of aid for neurosurgeons when accessing emotion-relevant structures, as well as for neuropsychologists to intensify their efforts to plan evidence-based neurorehabilitative interventions to alleviate the deleterious effects of such interpersonal communication deficits.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1803624 |
| spellingShingle | Panayiotis Patrikelis Giuliana Lucci Athanasia Alexoudi Stefanos Korfias Lambros Messinis Grigorios Nasios Themistoklis Papasilekas Damianos Sakas Stylianos Gatzonis Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing Behavioural Neurology |
| title | Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing |
| title_full | Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing |
| title_fullStr | Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing |
| title_short | Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing |
| title_sort | addressing evidence linking secondary alexithymia to aberrant humor processing |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1803624 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT panayiotispatrikelis addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT giulianalucci addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT athanasiaalexoudi addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT stefanoskorfias addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT lambrosmessinis addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT grigoriosnasios addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT themistoklispapasilekas addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT damianossakas addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing AT stylianosgatzonis addressingevidencelinkingsecondaryalexithymiatoaberranthumorprocessing |