Zusammenfassung
Bei hoch-alexithymen Studenten wurde eine erhöhte sympathische Grundaktivität sowie eine verminderte physiologische Antwort auf emotionalen „Stress” beschrieben. Wir haben diese Hypothesen an 10 hochalexithymen (TAS-20: M = 69,2; Streubreite 63 - 72) und 10 niedrig-alexithymen (TAS-20: M = 28,7; Streubreite 21 - 34) Patienten mit spasmodischem Tortikollis (ST) laborexperimentell überprüft. Die hoch-alexithymen ST-Patienten zeigten über alle Untersuchungsbedingungen (Entspannung - kognitiver Stressor - Entspannung - emotionaler Stressor) hinweg eine signifikant höhere tonische (SCL) und phasische (NS.SCR) Hautleitfähigkeit sowie im Trend niedrigere Hauttemperatur (0,016 ≤ p ≤ 0,065), jedoch keine veränderte psychophysiologische Reaktivität auf die Stressoren. Gegenüber der verwendeten „konservativen” Alexithymiedefinition ergaben weniger konservative Alexithymieschwellenwerte (hoch ≥ 57 vs. niedrig ≤ 36) trotz doppelter Stichprobengröße (n = 2 × 20) keine signifikanten Gruppenunterschiede mehr. Unsere Befunde sprechen für eine chronische sympathische Überaktivierung bei hoch-alexithymen Patienten mit spasmodischem Tortikollis.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess whether alexithymia is a risk factor for autonomic dysregulation in cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis, ST). Alexithymia was assessed by an authorized German version of the TAS-20. In a first step, we recruited 10 ST-patients with high alexithymia scores (> 62; M = 69.2, SD = 3.0) and compared them with 10 ST-patients with low alexithymia scores (< 35; M = 28.7, SD = 4.3) on physiological and subjective responses to a cognitive and an emotional laboratory stressor. High-alexithymic ST-patients generally showed increased levels of autonomic arousal (higher SCL, more NS.SCF and lower T; 0.016 ≤ p ≤ 0.065) under all experimental conditions. In a second step, we used a less extreme alexithymia-definition (high ≥ 57 vs. low ≤ 36) in a sample of 2 × 20 probands and found no significant differences. Our results suggest a chronically increased level of sympathetic activation in high-alexithymic patients with spasmodic torticollis.
Key words
Alexithymia - dystonia - stress - psychophysiology - decoupling hypothesis
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Dr. med. Harald Gündel
Institut und Poliklinik für Psychosomatische Medizin · Psychotherapie und Medizinische Psychologie · TU München · Klinikum rechts der Isar
Langerstraße 3
81675 München
Email: H.Guendel@lrz.tu-muenchen.de