Possible Implications of Managing Alexithymia on Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

Overview

Journal Parkinsons Dis

Publisher Wiley

Date 2024 Sep 4

PMID 39228428

Authors

Laura Culicetto

Caterina Formica

Viviana Lo Buono

Desiree Latella

Giuseppa Maresca

Amelia Brigandi

Chiara Sorbera

Giuseppe Di Lorenzo

Angelo Quartarone

Silvia Marino

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty in recognizing and verbalizing emotions, is reported to be more prevalent in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) than in the general population. Although it is one of the nonmotor symptoms of PD, alexithymia is often overlooked in clinical practice. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the prevalence of alexithymia in PD, assess its impact on quality of life, and explore the rehabilitation approaches for alexithymia. Research articles, selected from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, were limited to those published in English from 2013 to 2023. The search terms combined were "Alexithymia," "Parkinson's disease,", and "Quality of life." Current literature review indicates that alexithymia is commonly assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and it is associated with deficits in visuospatial and executive functions. Presently, rehabilitation interventions for alexithymia are scarce, and their effectiveness remains controversial. Future research should focus on developing comprehensive assessments and rehabilitation strategies for emotional processing, considering its significant impact on the quality of life of both patients and caregivers.

References

Ritsner M, Modai I, Endicott J, Rivkin O, Nechamkin Y, Barak P . Differences in quality of life domains and psychopathologic and psychosocial factors in psychiatric patients. J Clin Psychiatry. 2000; 61(11):880-9; quiz 890. DOI: 10.4088/jcp.v61n1113. View

Rosa-Grilo M, Qamar M, Evans A, Chaudhuri K . The efficacy of apomorphine - A non-motor perspective. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2016; 33 Suppl 1:S28-S35. DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2016.11.020. View

Pontone G, Bakker C, Chen S, Mari Z, Marsh L, Rabins P . The longitudinal impact of depression on disability in Parkinson disease. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015; 31(5):458-65. PMC: 6445642. DOI: 10.1002/gps.4350. View

Goerlich-Dobre K, Probst C, Winter L, Witt K, Deuschl G, Moller B . Alexithymia-an independent risk factor for impulsive-compulsive disorders in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. 2013; 29(2):214-20. DOI: 10.1002/mds.25679. View

Siderowf A, Jennings D, Connolly J, Doty R, Marek K, Stern M . Risk factors for Parkinson's disease and impaired olfaction in relatives of patients with Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. 2007; 22(15):2249-55. DOI: 10.1002/mds.21707. View

Parker J, Taylor G, Bagby R . The 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. III. Reliability and factorial validity in a community population. J Psychosom Res. 2003; 55(3):269-75. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00578-0. View

Leentjens A . Depression in Parkinson's disease: conceptual issues and clinical challenges. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2004; 17(3):120-6. DOI: 10.1177/0891988704267456. View

Prakash K, Nadkarni N, Lye W, Yong M, Tan E . The impact of non-motor symptoms on the quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients: a longitudinal study. Eur J Neurol. 2016; 23(5):854-60. DOI: 10.1111/ene.12950. View

Castelli L, Tonello D, Rizzi L, Zibetti M, Lanotte M, Lopiano L . Alexithymia in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with DBS of the subthalamic nucleus: a case-control study. Front Psychol. 2014; 5:1168. PMC: 4195283. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01168. View

10.

Berganzo K, Tijero B, Gonzalez-Eizaguirre A, Somme J, Lezcano E, Gabilondo I . Motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease and their impact on quality of life and on different clinical subgroups. Neurologia. 2014; 31(9):585-591. DOI: 10.1016/j.nrl.2014.10.010. View

11.

Gul A, Yousaf J . Alexithymia Predicts Cognitive Deficits In Patients With Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2019; 31(1):21-25. View

12.

Dafsari H, Ray-Chaudhuri K, Mahlstedt P, Sachse L, Steffen J, Petry-Schmelzer J . Beneficial effects of bilateral subthalamic stimulation on alexithymia in Parkinson's disease. Eur J Neurol. 2018; 26(2):222-e17. DOI: 10.1111/ene.13773. View

13.

Henderson J, Lu Y, Wang S, Cartwright H, Halliday G . Olfactory deficits and sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease: a case-control survey. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003; 74(7):956-8. PMC: 1738517. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.74.7.956. View

14.

Norman H, Marzano L, Coulson M, Oskis A . Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on alexithymia: a systematic review. Evid Based Ment Health. 2018; 22(1):36-43. PMC: 10270453. DOI: 10.1136/ebmental-2018-300029. View

15.

Lauterbach E . The neuropsychiatry of Parkinson's disease. Minerva Med. 2005; 96(3):155-73. View

16.

Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman D . Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. Ann Intern Med. 2009; 151(4):264-9, W64. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135. View

17.

Cronin-Golomb A . Parkinson's disease as a disconnection syndrome. Neuropsychol Rev. 2010; 20(2):191-208. PMC: 2882524. DOI: 10.1007/s11065-010-9128-8. View

18.

Costa A, Peppe A, Carlesimo G, Salamone G, Caltagirone C . Prevalence and characteristics of alexithymia in Parkinson's disease. Psychosomatics. 2010; 51(1):22-8. DOI: 10.1176/appi.psy.51.1.22. View

19.

Bach M, Bach D . Predictive value of alexithymia: a prospective study in somatizing patients. Psychother Psychosom. 1995; 64(1):43-8. DOI: 10.1159/000288989. View

20.

Jacobs D, Shuren J, Bowers D, Heilman K . Emotional facial imagery, perception, and expression in Parkinson's disease. Neurology. 1995; 45(9):1696-702. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.45.9.1696. View