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Fig. 1 Area of reduced function (posterior cingulate cortex) during future happy imagery in
individuals with a high degree of alexithymia [
9
]
Results showed that, compared to the low degree of alexithymia group, the high
degree of alexithymia group demonstrated signi
!
cantly reduced activation in the
posterior cingulate cortex, particularly during imagination of future happy events
(Fig.
1
). Based on previous studies asserting that the posterior cingulate cortex is
associated with episodic memory retrieval, Mantani et al. suggested that episodic
memory retrieval during happy imagery may be impaired in individuals with a high
degree of alexithymia. Mantani et al. speculated that this is one of the factors
leading to impaired regulation of emotion in alexithymia.
2.3 Eating Disorders
Eating disorders, which occur in many young women, present with various
symptoms, including fear of obesity, impaired cognition regarding one's own body
image, and abnormal eating behaviors such as refusal of food, overeating, and self-
induced vomiting. Kurosaki et al. [
10
] investigated gender differences in brain
function related to cognition of images of one's own body in subjects with and
without eating disorders. The subjects were 11 healthy young men and 11 healthy
young women; fMRI was used to assess brain activation during tasks using full-
body images of the subjects themselves manipulated to appear overweight or thin.
Women demonstrated activation of the bilateral prefrontal cortex and left amygdala
in response to the overweight images of the subjects and activation of the left
prefrontal cortex, left cingulate gyrus, and insular cortex in response to thin images
of the subjects (Fig.
2
, upper rows). Men, on the other hand, demonstrated acti-
vation of the occipital lobe including the primary and secondary visual cortices in
response to both types of images (Fig.
2
, lower rows).
