Characteristics of brain functional and structural connectivity in alexithymic students

Figures & data

Table 1 Brain regions showing significant differences on ALFF between the Alex group and the Cont group

Brain regions (BA)	Voxel size	Peak MNI coordinate			Peak t value
		X	Y	Z
Alex < Cont
PreCG	30	−24	−18	66	−4.0067
ACC	24	0	0	30	−3.4135
PostCG	43	54	−12	21	−4.4691
INS	23	−30	−27	21	−3.6573
Thalamus, left	92	−15	−24	15	−4.4737
Primary visual cortex (V1)	24	24	−69	12	−3.7334
HIP	22	−18	−42	3	−3.3616
Putamen, left	60	−30	0	−3	−4.1590
Putamen, right	52	30	−6	−3	−4.0324
Alex > Cont
SFG_R	21	18	66	6	3.6904
SFG_L	37	−21	60	0	4.0344
ITG_R	66	63	−48	−9	4.7707
ITG_L	22	−57	−63	−12	4.0419
OFC_R	21	45	48	−15	3.4859
Parahippocampal gyrus	99	24	−30	−36	3.8754

Note: P<0.01, AlphaSim correction, cluster size >21.

Abbreviations: ACC, anterior cingulated cortex; Alex, alexithymia group; ALFF, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations; Cont, control group; HIP, hippocampus; INS, insula; ITG_L, inferior temporal gyrus, left; ITG_R, inferior temporal gyrus, right; MNI, Montreal Neurological Institute; OFC_R, orbitofrontal cortex, right; PreCG, precentral gyrus; PostCG, postcentral gyrus; SFG_L, superior frontal gyrus, left; SFG_R, superior frontal gyrus, right.

Figure 1 Brain regions showing significant differences on ALFF between Alex and Cont group.

Notes: P<0.01, AlphaSim correction, cluster size >21; red and yellow color means Alex > Cont; blue and green color means Alex < Cont.
Abbreviations: Alex, alexithymia group; ALFF, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations; Cont, control group.

Table 2 Fourteen pairs of regions showing significant differences on FC between the Alex group and the Cont group

Brain regions	Alex	Cont	t value	P-value
ITG_R-PostCG	0.243±0.054	0.625±0.061	−4.527	<0.001
ITG_R-V1	0.038±0.016	0.105±0.035	−5.09	<0.001
ITG_R-Putamen_L	0.024±0.011	0.12±0.041	−4.06	0.001
ITG_R-Putamen_R	0.013±0.044	0.119±0.042	−3.421	0.002
ITG_L-INS	0.339±0.048	0.721±0.041	−3.416	0.002
SFG_R-PostCG	0.116±0.047	0.206±0.035	−3.687	0.001
SFG_R-INS	0.283±0.044	0.314±0.047	−3.824	0.001
OFC_R-Putamen_L	0.201±0.051	0.234±0.044	−3.177	0.002
Putamen_R-INS	0.53±0.073	0.592±0.064	−3.568	0.001
ITG_L-SFG_L	0.465±0.047	0.398±0.052	4.46	<0.001
SFG_R-ACC	0.639±0.046	0.341±0.039	3.499	0.002
SFG_L-ACC	0.524±0.050	0.341±0.044	4.271	0.001
OFC_R-PostCG	0.071±0.061	0.12±0.041	4.022	0.001
OFC_R-Hippocampus	0.427±0.075	0.337±0.065	4.127	0.001

Abbreviations: ACC, anterior cingulated cortex; Alex, alexithymia group; Cont, control group; ITG_L, inferior temporal gyrus, left; ITG_R, inferior temporal gyrus, right; OFC_R, orbitofrontal cortex, right; PreCG, precentral gyrus; PostCG, postcentral gyrus; SFG_L, superior frontal gyrus, left; SFG_R, superior frontal gyrus, right.

Figure 2 The pairs of regions showing the significant differences on FC or FA between the Alex group and the Cont group.

Notes: Red ball means Alex > Cont on ALFF; green ball means Alex < Cont on ALFF; gray line means the difference on FC between the Alex group and the Cont group is statistically significant; blue line means the difference on FA between the Alex group and the Cont group is statistically significant.
Abbreviations: ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; Alex, alexithymia group; ALFF, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations; Cont, control group; HIP, hippocampus; INS, insula; ITG.L, inferior temporal gyrus, left; ITG.R, inferior temporal gyrus, right; PHG, parahippocampal gyrus; PreCG, precentral gyrus; PostCG, postcentral gyrus; PUT.L, PUTAMEN, left; PUT.R, Putamen, right; SFG.L, superior frontal gyrus, left; SFG.R, superior frontal gyrus, right; THA.L, thalamus_L; V1, primary visual cortex; OrbPFC.R, orbitofrontal cortex, right.

Table 3 Brain regions showing significant differences on fractional anisotropy between the Alex group and the Cont group

Brain regions	Alex group	Cont group	t value	P-value
ITG_R-PostCG	0.362±0.0037	0.378±0.0046	−2.386	0.022
ITG_L-INS	0.049±0.0034	0.187±0.0053	−2.181	0.035
SFG_R-ACC	0.189±0.0054	0.369±0.0053	−2.688	0.010
SFG_L-ACC	0.517±0.0039	0.536±0.0053	−2.933	0.006

Abbreviations: ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; Alex, alexithymia group; Cont, control group; INS, insula; ITG_L, inferior temporal gyrus, left; ITG_R, inferior temporal gyrus, right; PostCG, postcentral gyrus SFG_L, superior frontal gyrus, left; SFG_R, superior frontal gyrus, right.