Emotional disorders and alexithymia in patients with alcohol dependence: the role of the interhemispheric asymmetry of the brain and the type of the cerebral deficiency

Abstract

We undertook this observational study among 435 patients (365 men and 70 women) who were divided into 3 groups based on the severity of the brain damage (clinical features and results of neuropsychological assessment, magnetic resonance imaging, electroenchephalography, transcortical Doppler): 1. Patients with alcohol dependence syndrome F10.2х) without comorbid psychiatric disorders; 2. Patients with alcohol dependence syndrome F10.2х) and mild comorbid organic brain disorder F06.7x; 3. Patients with alcohol dependence syndrome F10.2х) and moderate comorbid organic brain disorder (F06.7x). We assessed the severity of emotional disorders, alexithymia and interhemispheric asymmetry and compared these features between the groups. We found that the severity of the organic brain damage play important role in the association between the interhemispheric asymmetry and the severity of emotional disorders and alexithymia in patients with alcohol dependence. The complex analysis of the data shown that left-handedness and a functional asymmetry toward the left are the protective factors for the emotional disorders and alexithymia in the group of patients without organic brain disorder. Moreover, right-sided cerebral deficiency and a functional asymmetry toward the right are associated with higher risk of the emotional disorders in patients with alcohol dependence.

Keywords

• алкогольная зависимость
• межполушарная асимметрия
• эмоциональные расстройства
• алекситимия
• alcohol dependence
• interhemispheric asymmetry
• emotional disorders
• alexithymia