Alopecia areata and emotions
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Emotional responses in patients with alopecia areata: a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study
IRAS ID
147690
Contact name
Matthew J Harries
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research & Development, NHS SalfordR+D
Research summary
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common hair loss disorder characterized by sudden onset patchy or complete hair loss. Similar to other chronic skin disorders (e.g. psoriasis), AA has a negative impact on quality of life; with patients showing significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety and social phobia than the general population. Understanding the interaction between the nervous system (including control of important psychological functions such as emotions and understanding) and skin - the “brain-skin axis” - is of great clinical importance given the need for new ways to help patients with alopecia areata manage the physical and psychological effects of the disease.
A part of the brain (insula cortex) has a critical role in processing facial expressions of disgust. Psoriasis patients have been shown to display significantly reduced responses in the insula cortex compared to controls when observing disgusted facial expressions compared to neutral faces, suggesting a specific insula dysfunction involving the processing of disgust in this group. We hypothesise that the psychological and social consequences of AA, as with psoriasis, are mediated by disease-related alterations of self-perception, self-acceptance, and emotional processing of disgust.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), facial expression recognition and psychometric assessments, we will compare AA with healthy controls. The aim is to develop bio-psychosocial markers for patients with AA at risk of psychological morbidity.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/0341
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion