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Alexithymia and Addiction: A Review and Preliminary Data Suggesting Neurobiological Links to Reward/Loss Processing

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Abstract

Alexithymia, characterized by impairments in emotional awareness, is common among individuals with substance use disorders. Research on alexithymia suggests that it is a trait that may contribute to substance dependence. This paper will review alexithymia as it relates to substance use and substance use disorders, considering its potential role in the maintenance and treatment of these disorders. We will then describe how neural correlates associated with alexithymia may shed light on how alexithymia relates to addiction. Finally, we present preliminary fMRI data that examines how alexithymia may relate to the neurobiological correlates of reward/loss processing in individuals with cocaine dependence. While preliminary, these findings suggest a role of alexithymia in reward anticipation in cocaine-dependent individuals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Kristen P. Morie, Sarah W. Yip, Charla Nich, Karen Hunkele, Kathleen M. Carroll & Marc N. Potenza

  2. CASAColumbia, New York, NY, USA

    Sarah W. Yip & Marc N. Potenza

  3. Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  4. Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

  5. Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA

    Marc N. Potenza

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  1. Kristen P. Morie
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Correspondence to Kristen P. Morie.

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Conflict of Interest

Kristen P. Morie, Sarah W. Yip, Charla Nich, and Karen Hunkele declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Kathleen M. Carroll is a consultant to CBT4CBT LLC, which makes CBT4CBT available to qualified clinical providers and organizations on a commercial basis. Dr. Carroll works with Yale University to manage any potential conflicts of interest.

Marc N. Potenza has consulted for Ironwood, Lundbeck, Shire, INSYS and Rivermend Health; has received research support from Mohegan Sun Casino, the National Center for Responsible Gaming, and Pfizer pharmaceuticals; has participated in surveys, mailings, or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse control disorders, or other health topics; has consulted for law offices and the federal public defender’s office in issues related to impulse control disorders; provides clinical care in the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Problem Gambling Services Program; has performed grant reviews for the National Institutes of Health and other agencies; has guest-edited journal sections; has given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events, and other clinical or scientific venues; and has generated books or book chapters for publishers of mental health texts.

Role of the Funding Source

The primary source of funding for this work was the National Institute on Drug Abuse grants R37-DA 015969 and P50-DA09241. Dr. Morie was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse grant T32-DA022975. Drs. Potenza and Carroll were supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse grant R01-DA035058. Drs. Potenza and Yip were supported by CASAColumbia. Dr. Potenza was supported by the National Center for Responsible Gaming. Clinicaltrials.gov ID number NCT00350610. The funding agencies had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Contributors

Dr. Carroll was principal investigator of the trial and wrote the protocol. Dr. Potenza oversaw the fMRI component of the study. Dr. Morie with Ms. Hunkele and Nich and Dr. Yip undertook the statistical analysis. Dr. Morie wrote the first draft of the paper. All authors contributed to the editorial process and have approved the final submitted version of the manuscript.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Morie, K.P., Yip, S.W., Nich, C. et al. Alexithymia and Addiction: A Review and Preliminary Data Suggesting Neurobiological Links to Reward/Loss Processing. Curr Addict Rep 3, 239–248 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-016-0097-8

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