Alexithymia and Interleukin Variations in Somatoform Disorder

Gil, Francisco; Nickel, Marius; Ridout, Nathan; Schwarz, Markus J.; Schoechlin, Claudia; Schmidmaier, Ralf

doi:10.1159/000112048

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Furthermore, the findings of Houtveen et al [8] on the Th2 shift in patients with medically unexplained symptoms are in agreement with findings of enhanced IL-10 and IgE levels in SFD [52]. Since in our population B lymphocyte levels were not elevated – and were even lowered in SFD patients without psychopharmacological medication – our results cannot confirm a dominance of Th2 immunity, which would rather cause elevated B lymphocytes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Stability of Cellular Immune Parameters over 12 Weeks in Patients with Major Depression or Somatoform Disorder and in Healthy Controls

Krause

Stapf

Kirnich

et al. 2018

Neuroimmunomodulation

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Objective: Cellular immune status in major depression (MD) patients differs from that in somatoform disorder (SFD) patients and healthy controls (HC). It is still questionable whether the patterns of immune parameters remain stable over time. Therefore, we studied lymphocyte and monocyte cell counts and neopterin levels in peripheral blood of MD and SFD patients and HC over 12 weeks and tested for correlations between biochemical and psychometric parameters. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with MD, 27 with SFD, and 51 HC were recruited. Peripheral blood was drawn at four visits, at 4-week intervals. We assessed the total cell count of B lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, T lymphocyte subpopulations, and monocytes by flow cytometry, and neopterin serum levels by ELISA. Psychometric parameters were measured with questionnaires. Results: Counts of lymphocytes, monocytes, and neopterin were stable in the SFD and HC groups. In the MD group, total CD3⁺, CD3⁺CD8⁺, NK cells, and CD3⁺CD25⁺ T cells showed inhomogeneous variances in Friedman tests, particularly in females. Neopterin correlated with depressed mood in MD patients, and with body mass index in HC. Conclusions: Cellular immune parameters are stable in HC and SFD. Our results may indicate influences of MD and gender on some cellular immune parameters. This may need to be considered in future immunological studies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Stability of Cellular Immune Parameters over 12 Weeks in Patients with Major Depression or Somatoform Disorder and in Healthy Controls

Krause

Stapf

Kirnich

et al. 2018

Neuroimmunomodulation

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“…Studies of immune markers in humans with SSD are limited in scope and have produced conflicting results(115). One study however showed elevated levels of IL-6, IL-10, and Immunoglobulin E in SSD patients compared to healthy controls as well as an inverse relationship between IL-2 and alexithymia; the authors interpret these findings as supporting activated Th2 and reduced Th1 pathways among patients with SSD and high alexithymia (116). More basic and clinical research is needed to explore the effects of early relational stressors on the development of the immune system and SP.…”

Section: Multidisciplinary Research Findingsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Somatoform Pain

Landa

Peterson

Fallon

2012

Psychosomatic Medicine

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Somatoform pain is a highly prevalent, debilitating condition and a tremendous public health problem. Effective treatments for somatoform pain are urgently needed. The etiology of this condition is, however, still unknown. On the basis of a review of recent basic and clinical research, we propose one potential mechanisms of symptom formation in somatoform pain and a developmental theory of its pathogenesis. The emerging evidence from animal and human studies in developmental neurobiology, cognitive-affective neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, genetics, epigenetics, and clinical and treatment studies of somatoform pain all point to the existence of a shared physical and social pain neural system. Research findings also show that non-optimal early experiences interact with genetic predispositions to influence the development of this shared system and ability to regulate it in an effective way. Interpersonal affect regulation between infant and caregiver is crucial for the optimal development of these brain circuits. The aberrant development of this shared neural system during infancy, childhood and adolescence, therefore, may ultimately lead to an increased sensitivity to physical and social pain and to problems with their regulation in adulthood. The authors critically review translational research findings that support this theory and discuss its clinical and research implications. Specifically, the proposed theory and reviewed research suggest that psychotherapeutic and/or pharmacologic interventions that foster the development of affect regulation capacities in an interpersonal context will also serve to more effectively modulate aberrantly activated neural pain circuits and thus be of particular benefit in the treatment of somatoform pain.

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“…In addition, recent studies have linked alexithymia to altered immune responses [5,6,7,8,9]. Mandarelli et al [5] found that alexithymia predicted lowered IL-4 and IL-6 levels in subjects undergoing upper endoscopy, whereas Honkalampi et al [6] demonstrated higher IL-6 levels in alexithymic subjects in a population-based sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mandarelli et al [5] found that alexithymia predicted lowered IL-4 and IL-6 levels in subjects undergoing upper endoscopy, whereas Honkalampi et al [6] demonstrated higher IL-6 levels in alexithymic subjects in a population-based sample. Pedrosa et al [7] found a negative correlation between the level of alexithymia and the serum levels of soluble IL-2Rα in patients with somatoform disorders. Furthermore, the cerebrospinal fluid levels of IL-8 have been observed to correlate with alexithymic features in a sample of in-patients with non-inflammatory neurological disorders [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced Serum Adiponectin Levels in Alexithymia

Honkalampi

Viinamäki²,

Niskanen³

et al. 2014

Neuroimmunomodulation

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Objectives: Clinical studies have demonstrated that circulating cytokine profiles may differ between alexithymic and non-alexithymic subjects. We examined whether the levels of adiponectin (μg/ml) and resistin (ng/ml) are independently related to alexithymic features in a population-based sample. Methods: In 2005, clinical data including laboratory assessments were obtained from a sub-sample (n = 308) of the Kuopio Depression Study general population study including subjects aged 25-64 years. Based on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale score in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2005, a group of subjects with high alexithymic features (n = 85) was formed and compared with non-alexithymic controls (n = 206). Results: Serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower in subjects with alexithymic features than in non-alexithymic control subjects. No difference was found in resistin levels. Similarly, in a logistic regression model adjusted for age, gender and body mass index (BMI), lowered levels of adiponectin, but not resistin, were associated with an increased likelihood of belonging to the group with alexithymic features. Further adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors (i.e. smoking, BMI, metabolic syndrome, alcohol use, and coronary heart disease), depressive symptoms (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale with 17 items) and the use of antidepressants in addition to age and gender did not change these patterns. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a disturbed anti-inflammatory balance may characterize alexithymia. In addition, our results widen the concept of alexithymia and highlight the role of immune system alterations and stress in alexithymic individuals.

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Alexithymia and Interleukin Variations in Somatoform Disorder

Cited by 21 publications

References 96 publications

Stability of Cellular Immune Parameters over 12 Weeks in Patients with Major Depression or Somatoform Disorder and in Healthy Controls

Stability of Cellular Immune Parameters over 12 Weeks in Patients with Major Depression or Somatoform Disorder and in Healthy Controls

Somatoform Pain

Reduced Serum Adiponectin Levels in Alexithymia

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