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Lin J, Stern JA, Allen JP, Boker SM, Coan JA. Emotional engagement with close friends in adolescence predicts neural correlates of empathy in adulthood. Soc Neurosci 2024:1-13. [PMID: 39324514 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2024.2406863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
Empathy requires the ability to understand another's point of view and is critical for motivating a person to help others. However, little is known about the link between experiences of empathic emotional engagement in close friendships during adolescence and neural correlates of empathy in adulthood. Beginning in 1998, N = 88 participants drawn from a demographically diverse community sample were observed annually from ages 13 to 21 and rated on the amount of emotional engagement displayed toward a close friend during a support task. At approximately age 24, participants underwent functional brain imaging while a partner or stranger was under distress. Contrary to predictions, greater emotional engagement with close friends during adolescence corresponded prospectively with reduced temporal pole activity (a region associated with cognitive empathy and perspective taking) while observing threats directed at others. Results have implications for understanding the neurodevelopmental roots of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingrun Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jessica A Stern
- Department of Psychological Science, Pomona College, Claremont, USA
| | - Joseph P Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Steven M Boker
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - James A Coan
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Derntl B, Eber CH, Kogler L, Rehbein E, Sundstöm-Poromaa I, Morawetz C. Estradiol modulates changes in effective connectivity in emotion regulation networks. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 167:107103. [PMID: 38924828 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Hormonal changes in ovarian hormones like estradiol (E2) during the menstrual cycle affect emotional processes, including emotion recognition, memory, and regulation. So far, the neural underpinnings of the effect of E2 on emotional experience have been investigated using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional connectivity. In the present study, we examined whether the intrinsic network dynamics at rest (i.e., directed effective connectivity) related to emotion regulation are (1) modulated by E2 levels and (2) linked to behavioral emotion regulation ability. Hence, 29 naturally cycling women participated in two resting-state fMRI scans in their early follicular phase after being administered a placebo or an E2 valerate, respectively. Emotion regulation ability was assessed using a standard emotion regulation task in which participants were asked to down-regulate their emotions in response to negative images. The regions of two functionally predefined neural networks related to emotional down-regulation and reactivity were used to investigate effective connectivity at rest using spectral dynamic causal modelling. We found that E2, compared to placebo, resulted in changes in effective connectivity in both networks. In the regulation network, prefrontal regions showed distinct connectivity in the E2 compared to the placebo condition, while mixed results evolved in the emotional reactivity network. Stepwise regressions revealed that in the E2 condition a connection from the parietal to the prefrontal cortex predicted regulation ability. Our results demonstrate that E2 levels influence effective connectivity in networks underlying emotion regulation and emotional reactivity. Thus, E2 and its potential modification via hormonal administration may play a supporting role in the treatment of mental disorders that show a dysregulation of emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Women's Mental Health & Brain Function, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner site Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Corinna H Eber
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Women's Mental Health & Brain Function, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner site Tübingen, Germany
| | - Elisa Rehbein
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research, München-Neuherberg, Germany
| | | | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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Yang W, Hu D, Guo Y. The relationship between school bullying victimization and social mindfulness in middle school students: a chain mediating model of self-concept clarity and cognition reappraisal. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1388301. [PMID: 39161691 PMCID: PMC11330770 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1388301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To determine the relationship between school bullying victimization and social mindfulness and its mechanism in light of the interdependence and schema theories. Method The Chinese version of the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale-student, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Self-Concept Clarity Scale and The Social Mindfulness Self-report Scale (SMSRS) were distributed to 553 middle school students. Results (1) The correlations of school bullying victimization with social mindfulness, self-concept clarity, and cognition reappraisal were statistically significant. (2) School bullying victimization had a significant effect on social mindfulness. (3) The simple mediating role of self-concept clarity and cognition reappraisal between school bullying victimization and social mindfulness were significant. (4) Self-concept clarity and cognition reappraisal played a chain mediating role between school bullying victimization and social mindfulness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ying Guo
- School of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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Janelt T, Altmann T, Spreng RN, Roth M. Analyzing the Factor Structure of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Dimensionality, Reliability, Validity, Measurement Invariance and One-Year Stability of the German Version. J Pers Assess 2024; 106:230-241. [PMID: 37395509 DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2023.2224873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
In the face of heterogeneity in the measurement of empathy, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ; Spreng et al., Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(1), 62-71 (2009)) was developed as a brief unidimensional tool by statistically forming a consensus from existing measures of the construct. The present study aimed to (1) validate a German version of the TEQ, and (2) contribute empirical evidence to the ongoing debate regarding a singular versus multidimensional factor structure of the TEQ. One cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies were performed, with a total of 1,075 participants. Our initial exploratory factor analyses suggested either a one- or a two-factor structure (with the two-factors clustering straight and reverse-scored items); the two-factor model outperformed the one-factor model using confirmatory factor analyses. However, after negated items were replaced by positively reworded alternatives, both models fit the data equally well. A comparison of the correlation patterns with numerous external measures indicated that a second factor of the TEQ is a methodological artifact of item wording. Finally, a unidimensional TEQ scale showed sufficient internal consistency, two-week test-retest reliability, one-year stability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity with measures of empathy, emotion recognition, emotion regulation, altruism, social desirability, and the Big Five personality traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Janelt
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Tobias Altmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marcus Roth
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Gerosa M, Canessa N, Morawetz C, Mattavelli G. Cognitive reappraisal of food craving and emotions: a coordinate-based meta-analysis of fMRI studies. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsad077. [PMID: 38113382 PMCID: PMC10868133 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence supports the effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal in down-regulating food desire. Still, the neural bases of food craving down-regulation via reappraisal, as well as their degree of overlap vs specificity compared with emotion down-regulation, remain unclear. We addressed this gap through activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies on the neural bases of (i) food craving down-regulation and (ii) emotion down-regulation, alongside conjunction and subtraction analyses among the resulting maps. Exploratory meta-analyses on activations related to food viewing compared with active regulation and up-regulation of food craving have also been performed. Food and emotion down-regulation via reappraisal consistently engaged overlapping activations in dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal, posterior parietal, pre-supplementary motor and lateral posterior temporal cortices, mainly in the left hemisphere. Its distinctive association with the right anterior/posterior insula and left inferior frontal gyrus suggests that food craving down-regulation entails a more extensive integration of interoceptive information about bodily states and greater inhibitory control over the appetitive urge towards food compared with emotion down-regulation. This evidence is suggestive of unique interoceptive and motivational components elicited by food craving reappraisal, associated with distinctive patterns of fronto-insular activity. These results might inform theoretical models of food craving regulation and prompt novel therapeutic interventions for obesity and eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Gerosa
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Giulia Mattavelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Pavia 27100, Italy
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Amaoui S, Marín-Morales A, Martín-Pérez C, Pérez-García M, Verdejo-Román J, Morawetz C. Intrinsic neural network dynamics underlying the ability to down-regulate emotions in male perpetrators of intimate partner violence against women. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:2025-2040. [PMID: 37689595 PMCID: PMC10587320 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02696-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Research has pointed to difficulties in emotion regulation as a risk factor for perpetrating intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW). While efforts have been made to understand the brain mechanisms underlying emotion regulation strategies such as reappraisal, little is known about the intrinsic neural dynamics supporting this strategy in male perpetrators. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to characterise the network dynamics underlying reappraisal. Spectral dynamic causal modelling was performed to examine the effective connectivity (EC) within a predefined reappraisal-related brain network. 26 men convicted for an IPVAW crime [male perpetrators] were compared to 29 men convicted of other crimes [other offenders] and 29 men with no criminal records [non-offenders]. The ability to down-regulate emotions in response to IPVAW stimuli was used as a covariate to explore its association with male perpetrators' EC. The analysis revealed that (1) compared to non-offenders, both convicted groups exhibited increased EC within prefrontal areas, enhanced EC from prefrontal to temporoparietal regions and decreased EC in the opposite direction; (2) male perpetrators compared to other offenders showed increased EC from temporoparietal to prefrontal regions and, increased EC from the supplementary motor area to frontal areas; (3) connections involving dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were found to be potential predictors of the ability to down-regulate emotions. The study provides a deeper characterisation of the brain architecture of the processes that underlie IPVAW. This knowledge could inform the work of adaptive emotion regulation strategies in intervention programmes for male perpetrators in order to reduce the high recidivism rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Amaoui
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Granada, Spain
- Department of Personality, Evaluation & Psychological Treatment, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Agar Marín-Morales
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Granada, Spain
- Department of Personality, Evaluation & Psychological Treatment, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Cristina Martín-Pérez
- Department of Psychology, Universidad de Valladolid, Campus María Zambrano. Plaza de la Universidad 1, 40005, Segovia, Spain.
| | - Miguel Pérez-García
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Granada, Spain
- Department of Personality, Evaluation & Psychological Treatment, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Verdejo-Román
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Granada, Spain
- Department of Personality, Evaluation & Psychological Treatment, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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