Neurology BulletinNeurology Bulletin1027-48982304-3067Eco-Vector1643510.17816/nb16435Research ArticleAlexithymia in patients after the first cerebral strokeSavinaMaria A.<p>Leading researcher, Ph. D., department of geronotpsychiatry</p>maria_savina@mail.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0086-5704Menthal Health Research Centre11122019LI425281410201922102019Copyright © 2020, Savina M.A.2020<p>Alexithymia is considered to be a frequent complication of stroke that is not studied in Russian population.</p>
<p><strong>Aim. </strong>To determine frequency of alexithymia in patients with first-ever stroke and particularly in patients with affective disorders.</p>
<p><strong>Methods.</strong> 40 patients (mean age 63.112.0 years, 40% female) involved in prospective cohort study were assessed by 26-point Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Scores more than 62 were considered as borderline level of alexithymia, more than 74 as obvious alexithymia.</p>
<p><strong>Results.</strong> Borderline alexithymia was found in 13 patients (32.5% of sample), obvious alexithymia in 20 patients (50%). Patients with alexithymia were more frequently male and didn`t differ by age, educational level, stroke severity, lesion volume and location, cognitive dysfunction severity, comorbid somatic pathology. Alexithymia was more frequent in patient with pre-stroke and post-stroke depression but was not associated with generalized anxiety disorder.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusions.</strong> Alexithymia frequently accompanies post-stroke depression. High alexithymia score in patients with pre-stroke depression may indicate that Toronto Alexithymia Scale gives false-positive results in gerontological patients with depressive disorders.</p>strokealexithymiadepressionpost-stroke depressionlate-onset depressiondepressions of elderlyolder adultsgerontologyинсульталекситимиядепрессияпостинсультные депрессиипоздние депрессиидепрессии позднего возрастапожилой возрастгеронтология[Nemiah J.C., Freyberger H., Sifneos P.E. Alexithymia: a view of the psychosomatic process. In: O.W. Hill ed. Modern trends in psychosomatic medicine. London, Butterworths. 1976; 3: 430–439.][Ricciardi L., Demartini B., Fotopoulou A., Edwards M.J. Alexithymia in neurological disease: A review. J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2015; AiA: 1–9.][Spalletta G., Serra L., Fadda L. et al. Unawareness of motor impairment and emotions in right hemispheric stroke: a preliminary investigation. Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry. 2007; 22: 1241–1246.][Wang X., Chung M.C., Hyland M.E. et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder and psychiatric co-morbidity following stroke: the role of alexithymia. Psychiatry Res. 2011; 188: 51–57.][Савина М.А. Постинсультные психические нарушения: клинико-статистические, клинические, клинико-патогене-тические, прогностические аспекты. Дисс. … д-ра мед. наук. М. 2016; 420 с. [Savina M.A. Post-stroke psychic disorders: clinic-statistical, clinical, clinico-pathogonetic, prognostic aspects. Diss. … d-ra med. nauk. Moscow. 2016; 420 р. (In Russ.)]][Cravello L., Caltagirone C., Spalletta G. The SNRI venlafaxine improves emotional unawareness in patients with post-stroke depression. Hum. Psychopharmacol. 2009; 24: 331–336.]