- Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Spain)
- a.alonso@umh.es
- Scientific Lead, Methodogy
- Debreceni Egyetem (Hungary)
- matusz@mailbox.unideb.hu
- Software Engineer
- Karolinska Institutet (Sweden)
- stephanie.pittara@stud.ki.se
- Research and Development Engineer
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (Germany)
- s55askyr@uni-bonn.de
- Research and Development Engineer, Presentation Manager
What is Alexithymia: Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulty in identifying and describing one’s emotions, confusion between emotional feelings and bodily sensations, limited imaginative ability, and an externally oriented thinking style . In practice, people with alexithymia often struggle to recognize their own emotions and communicate them, which can impact mental health and therapy outcomes. It is typically assessed by self-report questionnaires (e.g. the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale), but these subjective measures have limitations in objectivity and insight . This has driven research into more objective, neurophysiological measures of alexithymia using EEG.
Overall alexithymia affects approximately 10% of the general population and is often accompanied with other mental disorders. Rates of alexithymia are considerably higher in clinical populations, including those with autism (50%), depression (21–42%), schizophrenia (35%) [1], eating disorders (40–63%), and anxiety disorders (13–27%). Also alexithymia can increase the risk of development of these neurodevelopmental disorders.
Alexithymia is a personality trait present in approximately 10% of the general population. Some studies estimate the prevalence to be between 8% and 23%, with more men generally found to be alexithymic than women (e.g., 17% of men versus 10% of women in one study).
The percentage of individuals with alexithymia is significantly higher in clinical populations and those with other conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Rates are estimated to be between 50% and 85%. Depression/Anxiety: Alexithymia is found in about half of the people with depressive disorders and is strongly associated with higher levels of both anxiety and depression. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): About 41% of war veterans with PTSD show signs of this trait. Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms: Alexithymia is present in nearly half of the patients experiencing medically unexplained physical symptoms. Substance use disorders and eating disorders: Higher rates of alexithymia are observed in individuals with these conditions. Alexithymia is considered a personality trait or subclinical phenomenon rather than a mental disorder itself, and its severity can vary from mild to severe.
Alexithymia is a condition marked by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions can be a significant risk factor for various mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, and can influence treatment outcomes. Given its impact on emotional regulation and mental health, accurate and objective assessment of alexithymia is crucial. Traditional self-report and interview-based methods are limited by subjectivity and lack of convenience. Recent research highlights the potential of using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals combined with machine learning to assess alexithymia objectively. By analyzing resting-state brain activity, particularly within the default mode network, such approaches can identify neural patterns linked to emotional awareness. For example, functional connectivity in the theta and gamma frequency bands, especially in the left hippocampus, has been found to correlate with alexithymia severity. This integration of EEG and explainable AI offers a promising, biologically grounded, and accessible tool for early detection and intervention in mental health care.
This application diretly connects to a Unicorn Hybrid Black BCI device and reads signals from the frontal lobe. It enables the user after calibration to read their Alpha, Beta and Delta Brainwaves, and from that derive their emotianal state.
