Alexithymia and cognitive impairment

The term “alexithymia” describes a psychic condition characterized by difficulties in verbalizing affect and elaborating fantasies. Some studies have demonstrated that age is strongly associated with alexithymia. However, the degree to which alexithymia relates to cognitive deficits in patients with conditions such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is unknown. Therefore, our study examined the degree to which alexithymia is greater in MCI compared to healthy older adults (HC) and also the correlations between alexithymia and cognition. Two hundred thirty-eight adults (mean age: 60.5 years; SD: 7.5; age range: 50-88) participated in the study: 131 were HC, while 53 had amnestic MCI (aMCI) and 54 non-amnestic MCI (naMCI). A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was used to assess cognition, while alexithymia was measured with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). ANOVAs showed significant differences in the TAS-20 score (F=6.96, p<.001, η²p=0.06), according to the Group. Indeed, aMCI had a significantly higher total score (mean: 46.7; SD: 13.6) than both naMCI (mean: 39.2; SD: 9.6) and HC (mean: 40.2; SD: 11.9). Moreover, TAS 20 score was negatively correlated with general cognition, attention, memory, language, visuospatial abilities, and executive functioning. The present study suggests that a cognitive decline may be linked to the inability to identify and describe feelings and, above all, fantasize in older adults suffering from amnestic mild cognitive impairment. This may be an important aspect to consider when planning treatments for patients with MCI. Indeed, targeting alexithymic facets may be a useful way to prevent or reduce the rate of cognitive decline.