The Experts below are selected from a list of 99 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Andre Aleman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • structure of the alexithymic brain a Parametric Coordinate based meta analysis
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2018
    Co-Authors: Pengfei Xu, Esther M Opmeer, Katharina S Goerlich, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Abstract Alexithymia refers to deficiencies in identifying and expressing emotions. This might be related to changes in structural brain volumes, but its neuroanatomical basis remains uncertain as studies have shown heterogeneous findings. Therefore, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis. We identified seventeen structural neuroimaging studies (including a total of 2586 individuals with different levels of alexithymia) investigating the association between gray matter volume and alexithymia. Volumes of the left insula, left amygdala, orbital frontal cortex and striatum were consistently smaller in people with high levels of alexithymia. These areas are important for emotion perception and emotional experience. Smaller volumes in these areas might lead to deficiencies in appropriately identifying and expressing emotions. These findings provide the first quantitative integration of results pertaining to the structural neuroanatomical basis of alexithymia.

  • Neural correlates of alexithymia: A meta-analysis of emotion processing studies
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2013
    Co-Authors: Jorien Van Der Velde, Katharina S Goerlich, Sergi G Costafreda, Michelle N. Servaas, Paul Horton, Richard Bruggeman, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in the experience and cognitive processing of emotions. It is considered a risk factor for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Functional neuroimaging studies investigating the neural correlates of alexithymia have reported inconsistent results. To integrate previous findings, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis including fifteen neuroimaging studies on emotion processing in alexithymia. During the processing of negative emotional stimuli, alexithymia was associated with a diminished response of the amygdala, suggesting decreased attention to such stimuli. Negative stimuli additionally elicited decreased activation in supplementary motor and premotor brain areas and in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, possibly underlying poor empathic abilities and difficulties in emotion regulation associated with alexithymia. Positive stimuli elicited decreased activation in the right insula and precuneus, suggesting reduced emotional awareness in alexithymia regarding positive affect. Independent of valence, higher (presumably compensatory) activation was found in the dorsal anterior cingulate possibly indicating increased cognitive demand. These results suggest valence-specific as well as valence-independent effects of alexithymia on the neural processing of emotions.

  • Neuroticism and the Brain: A Quantitative Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies Investigating Emotion Processing
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2013
    Co-Authors: Michelle N. Servaas, Sergi G Costafreda, Jorien Van Der Velde, Paul Horton, Johan Ormel, Harriette Riese, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Abstract Neuroticism is a robust personality trait that constitutes a risk factor for mood disorders. Neuroimaging findings related to neuroticism have been inconsistent across studies and hardly integrated in order to construct a model of the underlying neural correlates of neuroticism. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to provide a quantitative summary of the literature, using a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis (PCM) approach. Data were pooled for emotion processing tasks investigating the contrasts (negative > neutral) and (positive > neutral) to identify brain regions that are consistently associated with neuroticism across studies. Significant negative and positive correlations with neuroticism were found only for the contrast (negative > neutral) after multiple comparisons correction. Differences in brain activation were found to be associated with neuroticism during fear learning, anticipation of aversive stimuli and the processing and regulation of emotion. The relationship between neuroticism and these three psychological processes and their corresponding neural correlates is discussed. Furthermore, the meta-analytic findings are incorporated into a general model of emotion processing in neuroticism.

Sergi G Costafreda - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Neural correlates of alexithymia: A meta-analysis of emotion processing studies
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2013
    Co-Authors: Jorien Van Der Velde, Katharina S Goerlich, Sergi G Costafreda, Michelle N. Servaas, Paul Horton, Richard Bruggeman, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in the experience and cognitive processing of emotions. It is considered a risk factor for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Functional neuroimaging studies investigating the neural correlates of alexithymia have reported inconsistent results. To integrate previous findings, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis including fifteen neuroimaging studies on emotion processing in alexithymia. During the processing of negative emotional stimuli, alexithymia was associated with a diminished response of the amygdala, suggesting decreased attention to such stimuli. Negative stimuli additionally elicited decreased activation in supplementary motor and premotor brain areas and in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, possibly underlying poor empathic abilities and difficulties in emotion regulation associated with alexithymia. Positive stimuli elicited decreased activation in the right insula and precuneus, suggesting reduced emotional awareness in alexithymia regarding positive affect. Independent of valence, higher (presumably compensatory) activation was found in the dorsal anterior cingulate possibly indicating increased cognitive demand. These results suggest valence-specific as well as valence-independent effects of alexithymia on the neural processing of emotions.

  • Neuroticism and the Brain: A Quantitative Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies Investigating Emotion Processing
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2013
    Co-Authors: Michelle N. Servaas, Sergi G Costafreda, Jorien Van Der Velde, Paul Horton, Johan Ormel, Harriette Riese, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Abstract Neuroticism is a robust personality trait that constitutes a risk factor for mood disorders. Neuroimaging findings related to neuroticism have been inconsistent across studies and hardly integrated in order to construct a model of the underlying neural correlates of neuroticism. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to provide a quantitative summary of the literature, using a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis (PCM) approach. Data were pooled for emotion processing tasks investigating the contrasts (negative > neutral) and (positive > neutral) to identify brain regions that are consistently associated with neuroticism across studies. Significant negative and positive correlations with neuroticism were found only for the contrast (negative > neutral) after multiple comparisons correction. Differences in brain activation were found to be associated with neuroticism during fear learning, anticipation of aversive stimuli and the processing and regulation of emotion. The relationship between neuroticism and these three psychological processes and their corresponding neural correlates is discussed. Furthermore, the meta-analytic findings are incorporated into a general model of emotion processing in neuroticism.

  • Parametric Coordinate based meta analysis valid effect size meta analysis of studies with differing statistical thresholds
    Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2012
    Co-Authors: Sergi G Costafreda
    Abstract:

    Abstract The aim of Coordinate-based meta-analysis is to provide valid quantitative summaries of the literature, while taking into account the specificities of neuroimaging data. Neuroimaging findings are usually reported as Coordinates of effects surviving multiple comparison correction through statistical thresholding. Different studies may use widely differing censoring thresholds, ranging from strict family-wise corrections to more lenient “uncorrected” p -values. However, standard meta-analysis methods do not take into account these differences, as findings from studies with varying thresholds are treated as though they were equivalent. The present paper details a development in Coordinate-based meta-analysis which addresses this limitation. Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis (PCM) computes valid estimates from thresholded measurements, integrating significant findings with the information generated by subthreshold measurements to produce asymptotically unbiased meta-analytical summaries. The method is validated through simulated data, and demonstrated in a real data meta-analysis of structural differences in grey matter density in depression. PCM demonstrates a sensitivity that is comparable or superior to existing Coordinate-based meta-analysis methods, and demonstrates high agreement between its estimates and those obtained from the meta-analysis of unthresholded manual volumetric measurements. PCM constitutes a powerful approach to meta-analysis, able to generate valid and unbiased effect-size summaries of studies with different statistical thresholds, and also allowing the integration of whole brain and region-of-interest studies.

Pengfei Xu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • structure of the alexithymic brain a Parametric Coordinate based meta analysis
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2018
    Co-Authors: Pengfei Xu, Esther M Opmeer, Katharina S Goerlich, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Abstract Alexithymia refers to deficiencies in identifying and expressing emotions. This might be related to changes in structural brain volumes, but its neuroanatomical basis remains uncertain as studies have shown heterogeneous findings. Therefore, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis. We identified seventeen structural neuroimaging studies (including a total of 2586 individuals with different levels of alexithymia) investigating the association between gray matter volume and alexithymia. Volumes of the left insula, left amygdala, orbital frontal cortex and striatum were consistently smaller in people with high levels of alexithymia. These areas are important for emotion perception and emotional experience. Smaller volumes in these areas might lead to deficiencies in appropriately identifying and expressing emotions. These findings provide the first quantitative integration of results pertaining to the structural neuroanatomical basis of alexithymia.

Esther M Opmeer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • structure of the alexithymic brain a Parametric Coordinate based meta analysis
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2018
    Co-Authors: Pengfei Xu, Esther M Opmeer, Katharina S Goerlich, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Abstract Alexithymia refers to deficiencies in identifying and expressing emotions. This might be related to changes in structural brain volumes, but its neuroanatomical basis remains uncertain as studies have shown heterogeneous findings. Therefore, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis. We identified seventeen structural neuroimaging studies (including a total of 2586 individuals with different levels of alexithymia) investigating the association between gray matter volume and alexithymia. Volumes of the left insula, left amygdala, orbital frontal cortex and striatum were consistently smaller in people with high levels of alexithymia. These areas are important for emotion perception and emotional experience. Smaller volumes in these areas might lead to deficiencies in appropriately identifying and expressing emotions. These findings provide the first quantitative integration of results pertaining to the structural neuroanatomical basis of alexithymia.

Katharina S Goerlich - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • structure of the alexithymic brain a Parametric Coordinate based meta analysis
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2018
    Co-Authors: Pengfei Xu, Esther M Opmeer, Katharina S Goerlich, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Abstract Alexithymia refers to deficiencies in identifying and expressing emotions. This might be related to changes in structural brain volumes, but its neuroanatomical basis remains uncertain as studies have shown heterogeneous findings. Therefore, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis. We identified seventeen structural neuroimaging studies (including a total of 2586 individuals with different levels of alexithymia) investigating the association between gray matter volume and alexithymia. Volumes of the left insula, left amygdala, orbital frontal cortex and striatum were consistently smaller in people with high levels of alexithymia. These areas are important for emotion perception and emotional experience. Smaller volumes in these areas might lead to deficiencies in appropriately identifying and expressing emotions. These findings provide the first quantitative integration of results pertaining to the structural neuroanatomical basis of alexithymia.

  • Neural correlates of alexithymia: A meta-analysis of emotion processing studies
    Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2013
    Co-Authors: Jorien Van Der Velde, Katharina S Goerlich, Sergi G Costafreda, Michelle N. Servaas, Paul Horton, Richard Bruggeman, Andre Aleman
    Abstract:

    Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in the experience and cognitive processing of emotions. It is considered a risk factor for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Functional neuroimaging studies investigating the neural correlates of alexithymia have reported inconsistent results. To integrate previous findings, we conducted a Parametric Coordinate-based meta-analysis including fifteen neuroimaging studies on emotion processing in alexithymia. During the processing of negative emotional stimuli, alexithymia was associated with a diminished response of the amygdala, suggesting decreased attention to such stimuli. Negative stimuli additionally elicited decreased activation in supplementary motor and premotor brain areas and in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, possibly underlying poor empathic abilities and difficulties in emotion regulation associated with alexithymia. Positive stimuli elicited decreased activation in the right insula and precuneus, suggesting reduced emotional awareness in alexithymia regarding positive affect. Independent of valence, higher (presumably compensatory) activation was found in the dorsal anterior cingulate possibly indicating increased cognitive demand. These results suggest valence-specific as well as valence-independent effects of alexithymia on the neural processing of emotions.