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Zhang MM, Chen T. Empathic pain: Underlying neural mechanism. Neuroscientist 2024:10738584241283435. [PMID: 39365808 DOI: 10.1177/10738584241283435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/06/2024]
Abstract
Empathy is usually regarded as the ability to perceive the emotional state of others, which is an altruistic motivation to promote prosocial behavior and thus plays a key role in human life and social development. Empathic pain-the capacity to feel and understand the pain of others-constitutes a significant aspect in the study of empathy behaviors. For an extended duration, investigations into empathic pain have predominantly centered on human neuroimaging studies. Fortunately, recent advancements have witnessed the utilization of animal models in the exploration of the fundamental neural underpinnings of empathic pain. There is substantial evidence implicating multiple brain regions and neural networks in the generation and maintenance of empathic pain. Nevertheless, further elucidation of the neural mechanisms underlying empathic pain is warranted. This review provides a concise overview of prior studies on the neural mechanisms of empathic pain, outlining the pertinent brain regions, neural pathways, synaptic mechanisms, and associated molecules while also delving into future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ming Zhang
- Department of Anatomy and K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of Anatomy and K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
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2
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Heilmann K, Müller TH, Walter M, Engert V. Empathic stress is decreased by prior stressor experience and increased in a position of power. Horm Behav 2024; 165:105617. [PMID: 39190970 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105617] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
The observation of a stressed individual can trigger a stress response in a passive observer. Little is known about the mechanisms of this so-termed empathic stress, including the observer's empathic involvement with the stressful situation. In 108 opposite-sex stranger dyads, we expected to increase the observer's empathic involvement with a stressed target performing a standardized laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) by exposing observers themselves to the TSST one week earlier. Conversely, we intended to decrease empathic involvement by granting observers a powerful position over the targets (by asking them to evaluate the targets' TSST performance and allegedly decide on their financial compensation). A control group without any manipulation was also included. In the preregistered data analysis, two types of empathic stress were investigated: vicarious stress, which evolves irrespective of the target's stress response, and stress resonance, which is proportional to the target's stress response. Irrespective of manipulation, observers exhibited vicarious stress in subjective and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), and synchronized with the targets' stress reactivity in cortisol release. Prior TSST experience unexpectedly decreased observers' self-reported empathy and vicarious cortisol stress reactivity. The power manipulation, conversely, led to stronger observer vicarious stress in overall heart rate and HF-HRV reactivity. Based on Wondra and Ellsworth's (2015) appraisal theory, we propose that, due to their prior stressor exposure, observers habituated to said stressor, and consequently changed their evaluation of the target's stressful situation. In contrast, observers in the powerful position may have felt responsible for the targets, triggering a stronger vicarious stressful experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Heilmann
- Institute for Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, 07740 Jena, Germany; Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Philosophenweg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany.
| | - Theresa Helene Müller
- Institute for Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, 07740 Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Philosophenweg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), parter site Halle-Jena-Magdeburg; Center for Intervention and Research in adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Veronika Engert
- Institute for Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Stoystr. 3, 07740 Jena, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), parter site Halle-Jena-Magdeburg; Center for Intervention and Research in adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany
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Vetterlein A, Plieger T, Monzel M, Hogeterp SA, Wagner L, Grünhage T, Felten A, Trautner P, Karneboge J, Reuter M. Neuronal activation patterns during self-referential pain imagination. NEUROBIOLOGY OF PAIN (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 16:100158. [PMID: 39252991 PMCID: PMC11382119 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2024.100158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
In clinical assessments and pain therapy, patients are asked to imagine themselves in pain. However, the underlying neuronal processes remain poorly understood. Prior research has focused on empathy for pain or reported small sample sizes. Thus, the present study aimed to promote the neurobiological understanding of self-referential pain imagination. We hypothesised to find activation contrasts (pain vs. no pain) across pain-related areas and expected two of the most prominent predictors of chronic pain, pain sensitivity (PS) and locus of control (LoC), to be moderators. In an fMRI study, N = 82 participants completed a pain imagination task, in which they were asked to imagine themselves in painful and non-painful situations presented in the form of pictures and texts. After each trial, they were instructed to give painfulness ratings. As a laboratory measure of PS, electrical pain thresholds were assessed. A questionnaire was completed to measure LoC. Across presentation modes we found activity contrasts in previously pain-related regions, such as the prefrontal, supplementary motor, primary motor, somatosensory and posterior parietal cortices, and the cerebellum. We found positive associations of PS and external LoC with painfulness ratings, and a negative correlation between PS and internal LoC. Despite our hypotheses, neither PS nor internal LoC were significant predictors of the BOLD-signal contrasts. Though future studies are needed to draw further conclusions, our results provide preliminary evidence of a potential neuronal imagination-perception overlap in pain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Plieger
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Merlin Monzel
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Lilli Wagner
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Andrea Felten
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter Trautner
- Institute for Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Core Facility Human 3T MRI, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jana Karneboge
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Reuter
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Mu J, Wu L, Wang C, Dun W, Hong Z, Feng X, Zhang M, Liu J. Individual differences of white matter characteristic along the anterior insula-based fiber tract circuit for pain empathy in healthy women and women with primary dysmenorrhea. Neuroimage 2024; 293:120624. [PMID: 38657745 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain empathy, defined as the ability of one person to understand another person's pain, shows large individual variations. The anterior insula is the core region of the pain empathy network. However, the relationship between white matter (WM) properties of the fiber tracts connecting the anterior insula with other cortical regions and an individual's ability to modulate pain empathy remains largely unclear. In this study, we outline an automatic seed-based fiber streamline (sFS) analysis method and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to predict the levels of pain empathy in healthy women and women with primary dysmenorrhoea (PDM). Using the sFS method, the anterior insula-based fiber tract network was divided into five fiber cluster groups. In healthy women, interindividual differences in pain empathy were predicted only by the WM properties of the five fiber cluster groups, suggesting that interindividual differences in pain empathy may rely on the connectivity of the anterior insula-based fiber tract network. In women with PDM, pain empathy could be predicted by a single cluster group. The mean WM properties along the anterior insular-rostroventral area of the inferior parietal lobule further mediated the effect of pain on empathy in patients with PDM. Our results suggest that chronic periodic pain may lead to maladaptive plastic changes, which could further impair empathy by making women with PDM feel more pain when they see other people experiencing pain. Our study also addresses an important gap in the analysis of the microstructural characteristics of seed-based fiber tract network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Mu
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Leiming Wu
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Chenxi Wang
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Wanghuan Dun
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Zilong Hong
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Xinyue Feng
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China.
| | - Jixin Liu
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China; Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China.
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Li J, Qin Y, Zhong Z, Meng L, Huang L, Li B. Pain experience reduces social avoidance to others in pain: a c-Fos-based functional connectivity network study in mice. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae207. [PMID: 38798004 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae207] [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: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain experience increases individuals' perception and contagion of others' pain, but whether pain experience affects individuals' affiliative or antagonistic responses to others' pain is largely unknown. Additionally, the neural mechanisms underlying how pain experience modulates individuals' responses to others' pain remain unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of pain experience on individuals' responses to others' pain and the underlying neural mechanisms. By comparing locomotion, social, exploration, stereotyped, and anxiety-like behaviors of mice without any pain experience (naïve observers) and mice with a similar pain experience (experienced observers) when they observed the pain-free demonstrator with intraperitoneal injection of normal saline and the painful demonstrator with intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid, we found that pain experience of the observers led to decreased social avoidance to the painful demonstrator. Through whole-brain c-Fos quantification, we discovered that pain experience altered neuronal activity and enhanced functional connectivity in the mouse brain. The analysis of complex network and graph theory exhibited that functional connectivity networks and activated hub regions were altered by pain experience. Together, these findings reveal that neuronal activity and functional connectivity networks are involved in the modulation of individuals' responses to others' pain by pain experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuxin Qin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
| | - Zifeng Zhong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
| | - Linjie Meng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
| | - Lianyan Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
| | - Boxing Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
- Advanced Medical Technology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan Second Road, Yuexiu District, 510080 Guangzhou, China
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Oliva V, Riegner G, Dean J, Khatib LA, Allen A, Barrows D, Chen C, Fuentes R, Jacobson A, Lopez C, Mosbey D, Reyes M, Ross J, Uvarova A, Liu T, Mobley W, Zeidan F. WITHDRAWN: I feel your pain: Higher empathy is associated with higher posterior default mode network activity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.11.553004. [PMID: 37645854 PMCID: PMC10462016 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.11.553004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The authors discovered an error in the primary analysis and have withdrawn the results from this version of the investigation.
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Wu L, Chen X, Jia S, Yan L, Li J, Zhang L, Guo Y, Lu J, Li W. Evaluating the relationship between pain empathy, knowledge and attitudes among nurses in North China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs 2023; 22:411. [PMID: 37907895 PMCID: PMC10617106 DOI: 10.1186/s12912-023-01577-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective pain management is closely related to nurses' knowledge, attitudes and empathy regarding pain. Nursing educators and managers should understand the relationship between nurses' pain management knowledge, attitudes and empathy level, and take targeted measures accordingly. Currently, there is limited study exploring the relationship between pain empathy and pain knowledge and attitudes among nurses in North China. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of nurses' pain management knowledge and attitudes and pain empathy, to analyze the factors influencing pain empathy, and to explore the relationship between these two variables. DESIGN This study was a quantitative, descriptive-correlation design. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS The study population was registered nurses in North China, the sample included 177 registered nurses in North China. METHODS Data were collected with the "General data questionnaire", "Knowledge and attitudes survey regarding pain" (KASRP) and the "Empathy for pain scale" (EPS) via Wechat mini program "Questionnaire Star". RESULTS The 177 registered nurses completed the survey. The averege correct rate for KASRP was (51.94 ± 9.44)%, and none of the respondents achieved a percentage score of >80%. The mean score for pain empathy was (2.78 ± 0.78), the empathy reactions dimension was (2.99 ± 0.77), and the body and mind discomfort dimension was (2.71 ± 0.80). The results of multiple stepwise linear regression showed that whether they had received empathy training, whether they had greater trauma or severe pain and whether they had negative emotions were independent influencing factors for EPS scores. Pearson correlation analysis showed that KASRP scores were positively correlated with EPS scores (r = 0.242, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The pain knowledge and attitudes of nurses in North China are far from optimal. Nurses have a relatively low accuracy rate in areas such as medication knowledge, assessment of patient pain based on case studies, and handling PRN prescriptions. Nursing educators and administrators need to design some pain management courses in a targeted manner. Nurses' empathy for pain was at a moderate level. Pain empathy was positively correlated with pain knowledge and attitudes, suggesting that empathy for pain can be developed postnatally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Wu
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Oncology Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Xingyu Chen
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Shaofen Jia
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Liya Yan
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Jia Li
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Liwei Zhang
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Yanjing Guo
- Lymphatic Oncology Department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Jingjing Lu
- School of Nursing, Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Wanling Li
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
- Nursing department, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281794. [PMID: 37797037 PMCID: PMC10553809 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel S. Rieger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Bridget H. Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Bridget N. Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra J. Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - John P. Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526780. [PMID: 36778382 PMCID: PMC9915682 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget H Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget N Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
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Weiß M, Iotzov V, Zhou Y, Hein G. The bright and dark sides of egoism. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1054065. [PMID: 36506436 PMCID: PMC9729783 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1054065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its negative reputation, egoism - the excessive concern for one's own welfare - can incite prosocial behavior. So far, however, egoism-based prosociality has received little attention. Here, we first provide an overview of the conditions under which egoism turns into a prosocial motive, review the benefits and limitations of egoism-based prosociality, and compare them with empathy-driven prosocial behavior. Second, we summarize studies investigating the neural processing of egoism-based prosocial decisions, studies investigating the neural processing of empathy-based prosocial decisions, and the small number of studies that compared the neural processing of prosocial decisions elicited by the different motives. We conclude that there is evidence for differential neural networks involved in egoism and empathy-based prosocial decisions. However, this evidence is not yet conclusive, because it is mainly based on the comparison of different experimental paradigms which may exaggerate or overshadow the effect of the different motivational states. Finally, we propose paradigms and research questions that should be tackled in future research that could help to specify how egoism can be used to enhance other prosocial behavior and motivation, and the how it could be tamed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Weiß
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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The influence of social pain experience on empathic neural responses: the moderating role of gender. Exp Brain Res 2021; 240:53-69. [PMID: 34854933 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06279-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Empathy for pain, the ability to share and understand the pain of others, plays an important role in the survival and development of individuals. Previous studies have found that social pain experience affects empathy for pain, but potential gender differences have not been considered. The stage of information processing during which gender is most likely to play a moderating role has yet to be clarified. In the current study, we set up two groups (social pain experience priming: social exclusion group; positive social interaction experience priming: social inclusion group) with a Cyberball game paradigm. We recorded the electrophysiological responses when participants were completing an empathy task. An early frontal P2 and N2 differentiation between painful stimuli and neutral stimuli was observed and females showed larger P2 amplitudes than males. At the P3 stage, in the social exclusion group, males showed similar parietal P3 amplitudes for painful and neutral stimuli, while females showed smaller P3 amplitudes for painful stimuli. At the central-parietal late positive potential (LPP) stage, females in the social inclusion group showed larger LPP amplitudes for painful stimuli than males. Our results suggest that gender plays a significant moderating role in how social pain experience affects empathy for pain during the late cognitive processing stage. Experiment 2 was designed to investigate the cognitive mechanism behind the results for the P3 component in females and the results partially confirmed our speculation. This study provides a neurophysiological basis for the dynamic gender differences in the effects of social pain experience on empathy for pain.
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The effects of long-term menstrual pain on pain empathy in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Pain 2021; 162:2051-2059. [PMID: 33492034 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is not only a painful experience but also affects the psychological and affective states of women. Neuroimaging studies have revealed shared neural substrates for somatic and empathic pains in healthy subjects. However, little is known about the relationship between pain intensity and pain empathy in pain disorders. The cyclic nature of PDM makes it a unique model for investigating this issue during a patients' pain phase. To study how long-term pain modulates empathy for pain, T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained in 39 PDM patients and 41 matched female healthy controls during menstruation. Subjects viewed static visual stimuli of the limbs submitted to painful and nonpainful stimulation to solicit empathy. The visual analogue scale for pain intensity and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for empathic ability were also obtained. We found that women with PDM exhibited higher pain empathy compared with controls. The anterior insula and brain regions related to sensory discrimination with decreased gray matter volumes were not only shared but also acted as a mediator between pain intensity and pain empathy in PDM patients. In addition, the general linear modeling analysis revealed that long-term pain experience was a more important factor to pain empathy compared with pain intensity. This indicated that long-term pain may cause maladaptive brain structural plasticity, which may further affect psychological adjustment to bring patients more vivid pain when they witness suffering and distress in others.
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Wang C, Liu Y, Dun W, Zhang T, Yang J, Wang K, Mu J, Zhang M, Liu J. Effects of repeated menstrual pain on empathic neural responses in women with primary dysmenorrhea across the menstrual cycle. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:345-356. [PMID: 33030796 PMCID: PMC7775997 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is cyclic menstrual pain in the absence of pelvic anomalies, and it is thought to be a sex-hormone related disorder. Existing study has focused on the effects of menstrual cramps on brain function and structure, ignoring the psychological changes associated with menstrual pain. Here we examined whether pain empathy in PDM differs from healthy controls (HC) using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Fifty-seven PDM women and 53 matched HC were recruited, and data were collected at the luteal and menstruation phases, respectively. During fMRI scans, participants viewed pictures displaying exposure to painful situations and pictures without any pain cues and assessed the level of pain experienced by the person in the picture. Regarding the main effect of the pain pictures, our results showed that compared to viewing neutral pictures, viewing pain pictures caused significantly higher activation in the anterior insula (AI), anterior cingulate cortex, and the left inferior parietal lobule; and only the right AI exhibited a significant interaction effect (group × picture). Post-hoc analyses confirmed that, relative to neutral pictures, the right AI failed to be activated in PDM women viewing painsss pictures. Additionally, there was no significant interaction effect between the luteal and menstruation phases. It suggests that intermittent pain can lead to abnormal empathy in PDM women, which does not vary with the pain or pain-free phase. Our study may deepen the understanding of the relationship between recurrent spontaneous pain and empathy in a clinical disorder characterized by cyclic episodes of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and TechnologyXidian UniversityXi'anChina
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular & Neuroimaging,Ministry of EducationXi'anChina
| | - Yang Liu
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and TechnologyXidian UniversityXi'anChina
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular & Neuroimaging,Ministry of EducationXi'anChina
| | - Wanghuan Dun
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Tian Zhang
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and TechnologyXidian UniversityXi'anChina
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular & Neuroimaging,Ministry of EducationXi'anChina
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Junya Mu
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and TechnologyXidian UniversityXi'anChina
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular & Neuroimaging,Ministry of EducationXi'anChina
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Jixin Liu
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and TechnologyXidian UniversityXi'anChina
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular & Neuroimaging,Ministry of EducationXi'anChina
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14
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Frontotemporal dementia, music perception and social cognition share neurobiological circuits: A meta-analysis. Brain Cogn 2021; 148:105660. [PMID: 33421942 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease that presents with profound changes in social cognition. Music might be a sensitive probe for social cognition abilities, but underlying neurobiological substrates are unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies in FTD patients and functional MRI studies for music perception and social cognition tasks in cognitively normal controls to identify robust patterns of atrophy (FTD) or activation (music perception or social cognition). Conjunction analyses were performed to identify overlapping brain regions. In total 303 articles were included: 53 for FTD (n = 1153 patients, 42.5% female; 1337 controls, 53.8% female), 28 for music perception (n = 540, 51.8% female) and 222 for social cognition in controls (n = 5664, 50.2% female). We observed considerable overlap in atrophy patterns associated with FTD, and functional activation associated with music perception and social cognition, mostly encompassing the ventral language network. We further observed overlap across all three modalities in mesolimbic, basal forebrain and striatal regions. The results of our meta-analysis suggest that music perception and social cognition share neurobiological circuits that are affected in FTD. This supports the idea that music might be a sensitive probe for social cognition abilities with implications for diagnosis and monitoring.
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15
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Kogler L, Müller VI, Werminghausen E, Eickhoff SB, Derntl B. Do I feel or do I know? Neuroimaging meta-analyses on the multiple facets of empathy. Cortex 2020; 129:341-355. [PMID: 32562973 PMCID: PMC7390692 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Empathy is a multidimensional construct including affective and cognitive components while maintaining the distinction between one-self and others. Our meta-analyses focused on shared and distinct networks underlying cognitive (taking somebody else's perspective in emotional/painful situations) and affective (self-referentially feeling somebody else's emotions/pain) empathy for various states including painful and emotional situations. Furthermore, a comparison with direct pain experience was carried out. For cognitive empathy, consistent activation in the anterior dorsal medial frontal gyrus (dmPFG) and the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) occurred. For affective empathy, convergent activation of the posterior dmPFG and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was found. Consistent activation of the anterior insula (AI), the anterior dmPFG and the SMG was observed for empathy for pain, while convergent recruitment of the temporo-parietal junction, precuneus, posterior dmPFG, and the IFG was revealed in the meta-analysis across empathy for emotion experiments. The AI and the dmPFG/mid-cingulate cortex (MCC) showed overlapping as well as distinct neural activation for pain processing and empathy for pain. Taken together, we were able to show difference in the meta-analytic networks across cognitive and affective empathy as well as for pain and empathy processing. Based on the current results, distinct functions along the midline structures of the brain during empathy processing are apparent. Our data are lending further support for a multidimensional concept of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Veronika I Müller
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine, INM-7, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Elena Werminghausen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine, INM-7, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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16
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The similar past pain experience evokes both observational contagious pain and consolation in stranger rat observers. Neurosci Lett 2020; 722:134840. [PMID: 32081568 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory rodents have been shown to have an ability to recognize the injury site and negative emotional state of their conspecifics in pain, resulting in empathic consoling behaviors and observational contagious pain (OCP). However, these empathic responses have been shown to be familiarity-dependent. In this report, we further explored whether the past pain experience could evoke empathic response in stranger observers. In our rodent model, two types of empathic response have been identified from naive cagemate observer (COnaive) during and after a priming dyadic social interaction (PDSI) with a cagemate demonstrator in pain (CDpain): the consolation and OCP. Consolation is represented by allolicking and allogrooming behaviors toward the CDpain, while the OCP is represented by a long-term mechanical pain hypersensitivity. The current results showed that: (1) neither the consolation nor OCP could be identified in the naive noncagemate observer (NCOnaive) during and after a PDSI with a noncagemate demonstrator in pain (NCDpain); (2) nor were the two types of empathic response seen in the NCO, who had just experienced acute pain (NCOpainexp), during and after a PDSI with a naive unfamiliar conspecific (NCDnaive). However, both the consolation and OCP were dramatically identified in the NCOpainexp during and after a PDSI with a NCD in pain (NCDpain). The current results demonstrated that the past pain experience can evoke both consolation and OCP in stranger rat observers when witnessing a conspecific in pain, implicating that the processing of empathy for pain can be modulated by past negative mood experience.
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17
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Dun W, Fan T, Wang Q, Wang K, Yang J, Li H, Liu J, Liu H. Association Between Trait Empathy and Resting Brain Activity in Women With Primary Dysmenorrhea During the Pain and Pain-Free Phases. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:608928. [PMID: 33324267 PMCID: PMC7725799 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.608928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy refers to the ability to understand someone else's emotions and fluctuates with the current state in healthy individuals. However, little is known about the neural network of empathy in clinical populations at different pain states. The current study aimed to examine the effects of long-term pain on empathy-related networks and whether empathy varied at different pain states by studying primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) patients. Multivariate partial least squares was employed in 46 PDM women and 46 healthy controls (HC) during periovulatory, luteal, and menstruation phases. We identified neural networks associated with different aspects of empathy in both groups. Part of the obtained empathy-related network in PDM exhibited a similar activity compared with HC, including the right anterior insula and other regions, whereas others have an opposite activity in PDM, including the inferior frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule. These results indicated an abnormal regulation to empathy in PDM. Furthermore, there was no difference in empathy association patterns in PDM between the pain and pain-free states. This study suggested that long-term pain experience may lead to an abnormal function of the brain network for empathy processing that did not vary with the pain or pain-free state across the menstrual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanghuan Dun
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tongtong Fan
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qiming Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Brain Imaging, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jixin Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Brain Imaging, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hongjuan Liu
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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18
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Park YW, Jun S, Noh J, Chung SJ, Han S, Lee PH, Kim C, Lee SK. Structural and Resting-State Brain Alterations in Trauma-Exposed Firefighters: Preliminary Results. JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF RADIOLOGY 2020; 81:676-687. [PMID: 36238613 PMCID: PMC9431906 DOI: 10.3348/jksr.2020.81.3.676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Purpose To analyze the altered brain regions and intrinsic brain activity patterns in trauma-exposed firefighters without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Materials and Methods Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) was performed for all subjects. Thirty-one firefighters over 40 years of age without PTSD (31 men; mean age, 49.8 ± 4.7 years) were included. Twenty-six non-traumatized healthy controls (HCs) (26 men; mean age, 65.3 ± 7.84 years) were also included. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to investigate focal differences in the brain anatomy. Seed-based functional connectivity analysis was performed to investigate differences in spontaneous brain characteristics. Results The mean z-scores of the Seoul Verbal Learning Test for immediate and delayed recall, Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) score for animals, and COWAT phonemic fluency were significantly lower in the firefighter group than in the HCs, indicating decreased neurocognitive function. Compared to HCs, firefighters showed reduced gray matter volume in the left superior parietal gyrus and left inferior temporal gyrus. Further, in contrast to HCs, firefighters showed alterations in rsfMRI values in multiple regions, including the fusiform gyrus and cerebellum. Conclusion Structural and resting-state functional abnormalities in the brain may be useful imaging biomarkers for identifying alterations in trauma-exposed firefighters without PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yae Won Park
- Department of Radiology, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Suhnyoung Jun
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Juwhan Noh
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seok Jong Chung
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sanghoon Han
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Phil Hyu Lee
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Changsoo Kim
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung-Koo Lee
- Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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19
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Yu H, Nan W, Yang G, Li Q, Wu H, Liu X. Your Performance Is My Concern: A Perspective-Taking Competition Task Affects ERPs to Opponent's Outcomes. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1162. [PMID: 31736696 PMCID: PMC6829177 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has shown that people have more empathic responses to in-group members and more schadenfreude to out-group members. As a dimension of cognitive empathy, perspective-taking has been considered to be related to the enhancement of empathy. We tried to combine these effects through manipulation of a competitive task with opponents and an in-group partner and investigated the potential effect of in-group bias or the perspective-taking effect on outcome evaluation. We hypothesized that the neural activities would provide evidence of in-group bias. We tested it with a simple gambling observation task and recorded subjects' electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. Our results showed that the opponent's loss evoked larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) and smaller P300 activity than the partner's loss condition, and there was a win vs. loss differential effect in P300 for the opponent only. The principal component analysis (PCA) replicated the loss vs. win P300 effect to opponent's performance. Moreover, the correlation between the inclusion of the other in the self (IOS) scores and FRN suggests perspective-taking may induce greater monitoring to opponent's performance, which increases the win vs. loss differentiation brain response to the out-group agent. Our results thus provide evidence for the enhanced attention toward out-group individuals after competition manipulation, as well as the motivation significance account of FRN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weizhi Nan
- Department of Psychology, Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guochun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Li
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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20
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Jauniaux J, Khatibi A, Rainville P, Jackson PL. A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on pain empathy: investigating the role of visual information and observers' perspective. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 14:789-813. [PMID: 31393982 PMCID: PMC6847411 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy relies on brain systems that support the interaction between an observer's mental state and cues about the others' experience. Beyond the core brain areas typically activated in pain empathy studies (insular and anterior cingulate cortices), the diversity of paradigms used may reveal secondary networks that subserve other more specific processes. A coordinate-based meta-analysis of fMRI experiments on pain empathy was conducted to obtain activation likelihood estimates along three factors and seven conditions: visual cues (body parts, facial expressions), visuospatial (first-person, thirdperson), and cognitive (self-, stimuli-, other-oriented tasks) perspectives. The core network was found across cues and perspectives, and common activation was observed in higher-order visual areas. Body-parts distinctly activated areas related with sensorimotor processing (superior and inferior parietal lobules, anterior insula) while facial expression distinctly involved the inferior frontal gyrus. Self- compared to other-perspective produced distinct activations in the left insula while stimulus- versus other-perspective produced distinctive responses in the inferior frontal and parietal lobules, precentral gyrus, and cerebellum. Pain empathy relies on a core network which is modulated by several secondary networks. The involvement of the latter seems to depend on the visual cues available and the observer's mental state that can be influenced by specific instructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiane Jauniaux
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), 525, boul. Wilfrid-Hamel, Québec, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
- Centre de recherche CERVO, 2601, rue de la Canardière, Québec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Ali Khatibi
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), 4545, Chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal, QC H3W 1W4, Canada
- Center of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine), School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Rainville
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), 4545, Chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal, QC H3W 1W4, Canada
- Département de stomatologie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Philip L Jackson
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), 525, boul. Wilfrid-Hamel, Québec, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
- Centre de recherche CERVO, 2601, rue de la Canardière, Québec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
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21
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Xiang Y, Wang Y, Gao S, Zhang X, Cui R. Neural Mechanisms With Respect to Different Paradigms and Relevant Regulatory Factors in Empathy for Pain. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:507. [PMID: 30087592 PMCID: PMC6066512 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy for pain is thought to activate the affective-motivational components of the pain matrix, which includes the anterior insula and middle and anterior cingulate cortices, as indicated by functional magnetic resonance imaging and other methodologies. Activity in this core neural network reflects the affective experience that activates our responses to pain and lays the neural foundation for our understanding of our own emotions and those of others. Furthermore, although picture-based paradigms can activate somatosensory components of directly experienced pain, cue-based paradigms cannot. In addition to this difference, the two paradigms evoke other distinct neuronal responses. Although the automatic “perception-action” model has long been the dominant theory for pain empathy, a “bottom-up, top-down” mechanism seems to be more comprehensive and persuasive. Indeed, a variety of factors can regulate the intensity of empathy for pain through “top-down” processes. In this paper, we integrate and generalize knowledge regarding pain empathy and introduce the findings from recent studies. We also present ideas for future research into the neural mechanisms underlying pain empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yien Xiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, The Second Hospital Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yicun Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, The Second Hospital Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Shuohui Gao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Colorectal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xuewen Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, The Second Hospital Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ranji Cui
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, The Second Hospital Jilin University, Changchun, China
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22
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A. Hall
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachel Schwartz
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA
- Center for Health Policy and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
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23
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Post-traumatic stress influences local and remote functional connectivity: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Brain Imaging Behav 2018; 11:1316-1325. [PMID: 27722829 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-016-9622-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with alterations in regional brain activation and remote functional connectivity (FC) in limbic and prefrontal cortex. However, little is known about local FC changes following a traumatic event. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance images were collected for typhoon survivors with (n = 27) and without PTSD (n = 33), and healthy controls (n = 30). Local FC was examined by calculating regional homogeneity (ReHo), and remote FC was investigated between regions showing significant ReHo group differences. The PTSD group showed ReHo changes in multiple regions, including the amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, and prefrontal cortex relative to both control groups. Compared with healthy controls, typhoon survivors had increased ReHo in the insula/inferior frontal gyrus, middle and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (MCC/dACC), as well as enhanced negative FC between the MCC/dACC and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus. The typhoon-exposed control group exhibited higher ReHo in the PCC/precuneus than the PTSD and healthy control groups. Furthermore, positive correlations were found between PTSD symptom severity and ReHo in several regions. Post-traumatic stress can influence local and remote FC, irrespective of PTSD diagnosis. Future studies are needed to validate the findings and to determine whether the alterations represent pre-existing or acquired deficits.
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24
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Lin CS, Wu CY, Wu SY, Lin HH. Brain activations associated with fearful experience show common and distinct patterns between younger and older adults in the hippocampus and the amygdala. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5137. [PMID: 29572480 PMCID: PMC5865205 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22805-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Revisiting threat-related scenes elicits fear and activates a brain network related to cognitive-affective processing. Prior experience may contribute to the present fearful experience. We aimed to investigate (a) patterns of brain activation associated with individual differences in past fearful experiences (pFear) and the present fear elicited by watching videos (eFear) and (b) age-related differences in the activation patterns. Forty healthy adults, including 20 younger adults (YA) and 20 older adults (OA), underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while watching videos containing high- and low-threat scenes of medical treatment. Both age subgroups showed positive correlations between pFear and bilateral hippocampal activation. Only YA showed threat-related activation in the bilateral anterior insula and activation positively correlated with pFear in the bilateral S1 and the amygdala. The evidence suggests that the hippocampus, amygdala and S1 may play key roles in bridging past fearful experiences and the present fear elicited by revisiting visual scenes and that the interaction between memory and emotional processing may be age dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Shu Lin
- Department of Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Ching-Yi Wu
- Institute of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Division of Family Dentistry, Department of Stomatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Yun Wu
- Department of Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Division of Family Dentistry, Department of Stomatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Han Lin
- Department of Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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25
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Abstract
The goals of this study were to compare whether emergency department (ED) patients' pain intensity (PI) is measured differently by male and female nurses and to determine whether PI, heart rate (HR), and respiratory rate (RR) were used to prioritize patient urgency differently by male and female nurses. The associations between patients' PI|HR|RR and the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) scores they were assigned by attending nurses were analyzed using a national database of electronic medical records of US Veterans Affairs ED patients from 2008 to 2012. A total of 129,991 patients presenting for emergency care (Mage = 59.5, 92% males) and their triage nurses (n = 774, Mage = 47.5, 18% males) were analyzed, resulting in a total of 359,642 patient-provider interactions. Patients' PI did not differ by the nurse's gender; however a cross-classified mixed-effects model showed that nurse gender influenced how PI and RR measurements informed the ESI levels that male patients received. Higher PI levels were associated with more urgent (higher priority) ESI levels by female nurses, yet less urgent ESI levels by male nurses. In contrast, male patients with high RR received more urgent ESI levels by male nurses, whereas the nurse gender did not influence ESI assignments for female patients. These findings show that ED patients receive disparate treatment based on inherent characteristics of their triage nurses, and more standardized (eg, automated) protocols that can account for implicit social factors on health care practice for reliably assessing and prioritizing ED patients may be currently warranted.
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26
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Cheng Y, Chen C, Decety J. How Situational Context Impacts Empathic Responses and Brain Activation Patterns. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:165. [PMID: 28928643 PMCID: PMC5591329 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical empathy, which is defined as the ability to understand the patient’s experience and feelings from the patient’s perspective, is acknowledged to be an important aspect of quality healthcare. However, how work experience modulates the empathic responses and brain activation patterns in medical professions remains elusive. This fMRI study recruited one hundred female nurses, who varied the length of work experience, and examined how their neural response, functional connectivity, and subjective evaluations of valence and arousal to perceiving another individual in physical pain are modulated by the situational context in which they occur (i.e., in a hospital or at home). Participants with longer hospital terms evaluated pain as less negative in valence and arousal when occurring in a hospital context, but not in a home context. Physical pain perceived in a hospital compared to a home context produced stronger activity in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). The reverse comparison resulted in an increased activity in the insula and anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC). Mediation analysis indicated that reduced personal accomplishment, a symptom of burnout, breaks down the mediation effect of the putamen on context-dependent valence ratings. Overall, the study demonstrates how situational contexts significantly influence individuals’ empathic processing, and that perceiving reward from patient care protects them from burnout. HighlightsDifferences in behavior ratings and brain activations between medical practitioners perceiving others’ pain in a hospital and at home. Situational contexts significantly influence individual’s empathic processing. Perceiving rewards from patient care protects medical practitioners from burnout. Empathy is a flexible phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawei Cheng
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University HospitalYilan, Taiwan
| | - Chenyi Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming UniversityTaipei, Taiwan
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of ChicagoChicago, IL, United States
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27
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Chen M, Wang YZ, Ma CC, Li QZ, Zhou H, Fu J, Yang QQ, Zhang YM, Liu Y, Cao JL. Empathy skill-dependent modulation of working memory by painful scene. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4527. [PMID: 28674390 PMCID: PMC5495758 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04702-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As an important online information retaining and processing function, working memory plays critical roles in many other cognitive functions. Several long-term factors, such as age, addiction and diseases, have been affirmed to impair working memory, but whether or how the short-term factors, like painful stimuli or emotions, regulate the human working memory ability is not well explored. Here we investigated the influences of empathic pain on upcoming working memory and existing working memory, by presenting human subjects with the pictures depicting painful or neutral scene. After separating the subjects into two groups, the more empathic group and relatively indifferent group, according to a well-accepted questionnaire (the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)), the modulatory effect emerged. Empathic pain might exerted either a facilitating effect or an impairing effect, which was closely correlated with the personal empathy skills. Meanwhile, different aspects of subjects’ empathy traits exerted distinct effects, and female subjects were more vulnerable than male subjects. Present study reveals a new modulatory manner of the working memory, via empathy skill-dependent painful experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mo Chen
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Yuan-Zheng Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Chen-Chen Ma
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Qi-Ze Li
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Han Zhou
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Jie Fu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Qian-Qian Yang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Yong-Mei Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China. .,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.
| | - Jun-Li Cao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China. .,Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China. .,Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221002, China.
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28
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Betti V, Aglioti SM. Dynamic construction of the neural networks underpinning empathy for pain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 63:191-206. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2015] [Revised: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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29
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Prior exposure to extreme pain alters neural response to pain in others. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2016; 16:662-71. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-016-0422-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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30
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Goumon S, Špinka M. Emotional contagion of distress in young pigs is potentiated by previous exposure to the same stressor. Anim Cogn 2016; 19:501-11. [PMID: 26753689 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-015-0950-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Revised: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This study tested whether emotional contagion occurs when piglets directly observe a penmate in distress (restraint) and whether there is an effect of previous experience on the response to subsequent restraint or exposure to conspecific distress. Piglets (49.7 ± 0.7 days) were exposed in pairs to two stress phases (SP1 and SP2) in an arena divided into two pens by a wire mesh wall. During SP1, one of the pigs of a pair was either restrained (Stress treatment) or sham-restrained (Control treatment), while the other pig was considered observer. During SP2, the previous observer was restrained, while its penmate took the observer role. Heart rate variability, locomotion, vocalizations, body/head/ear and tail postures were monitored. During SP1, observer pigs responded to conspecific distress with increased indicators of attention (looking at, proximity to and snout contacts with the distressed pigs) and increased indicators of fear (reduced locomotion, increased freezing). During SP2, the observer pigs that had been restrained previously reacted more strongly (through higher proximity, decreased locomotion, increased freezing) to observing the penmate in restraint than pigs without the previous negative experience. This study suggests that young pigs are susceptible to emotional contagion and that this contagion is potentiated by previous exposure to the same stressor. These findings have implications for pig welfare in practical animal husbandry systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marek Špinka
- Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic
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31
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Ruckmann J, Bodden M, Jansen A, Kircher T, Dodel R, Rief W. How pain empathy depends on ingroup/outgroup decisions: A functional magnet resonance imaging study. Psychiatry Res 2015; 234:57-65. [PMID: 26323252 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Revised: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Showing empathy is crucial for social functioning and empathy is related to group membership. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of experimentally generated groups on empathy for pain in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm. Thirty healthy participants underwent a minimal group paradigm to create two groups. While BOLD contrast was measured using fMRI, subjects were instructed to empathize with ingroup and outgroup members, who were depicted in a picture paradigm of painful and neutral situations. Behavioral measure of state empathy was measured using a visual analog scale. Furthermore, self-reported trait empathy measures were obtained. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted for fMRI and behavioral data. In addition to a main effect of pain in pain-related areas, a main effect of group in areas belonging to the visual cortex was found. Although there was no ingroup bias for empathy ratings, subjects showed altered neural activation in regions of the right fusiform gyrus, the cerebellum, the hippocampal and amygdala region during the pain×group interaction. Activation in the preceding structures, revealed by the interaction of pain by group, suggests that activation in the pallidum might reflect specific empathy for pain-related regulation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Ruckmann
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Maren Bodden
- Department of Neurology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Richard Dodel
- Department of Neurology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Rief
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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32
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Zheng L, Wang Q, Cheng X, Li L, Yang G, Sun L, Ling X, Guo X. Perceived reputation of others modulates empathic neural responses. Exp Brain Res 2015; 234:125-32. [PMID: 26403292 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4434-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Empathy enables us to understand and share the emotional and affective states of another person and plays a key role in social behaviors. The current study investigated whether and how empathic neural responses to pain were modulated by the perceived reputation of others. Action histories reflecting individuals' past cooperation or betrayal actions in the repeated prisoner's dilemma game were introduced as an index of reputation. We assessed brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging while the participants observed individuals with a good or bad reputation receiving or not receiving pain. The results indicated that the participants exhibited reduced empathic responses in AI and dACC to the individual who had a bad reputation relative to the one who had a good reputation, suggesting that their empathy for pain was modulated by the perceived reputation of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Qianfeng Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China.,Department of Physics, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Xuemei Cheng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China.,Department of Physics, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Lin Li
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Guang Yang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China. .,Department of Physics, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Lining Sun
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Xiaoli Ling
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Xiuyan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China. .,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China. .,School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Road 3663, Shanghai, 200062, China.
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33
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Preis MA, Kröner-Herwig B, Schmidt-Samoa C, Dechent P, Barke A. Neural Correlates of Empathy with Pain Show Habituation Effects. An fMRI Study. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137056. [PMID: 26317858 PMCID: PMC4552664 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that the actual experience of pain and the perception of another person in pain share common neural substrates, including the bilateral anterior insular cortex and the anterior midcingulate cortex. As many fMRI studies include the exposure of participants to repeated, similar stimuli, we examined whether empathic neural responses were affected by habituation and whether the participants' prior pain experience influenced these habituation effects. Method In 128 trials (four runs), 62 participants (31 women, 23.0 ± 4.2 years) were shown pictures of hands exposed to painful pressure (pain pictures) and unexposed (neutral pictures). After each trial, the participants rated the pain of the model. Prior to the experiment, participants were either exposed to the same pain stimulus (pain exposure group) or not (touch exposure group). In order to assess possible habituation effects, linear changes in the strength of the BOLD response to the pain pictures (relative to the neutral pictures) and in the ratings of the model’s pain were evaluated across the four runs. Results Although the ratings of the model’s pain remained constant over time, we found neural habituation in the bilateral anterior/midinsular cortex, the posterior midcingulate extending to dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, the supplementary motor area, the cerebellum, the right inferior parietal lobule, and the left superior frontal gyrus, stretching to the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex. The participant’s prior pain experience did neither affect their ratings of the model’s pain nor their maintenance of BOLD activity in areas associated with empathy. Interestingly, participants with high trait personal distress and fantasy tended to show less habituation in the anterior insula. Conclusion Neural structures showed a decrease of the BOLD signal, indicating habituation over the course of 45 minutes. This can be interpreted as a neuronal mechanism responding to the repeated exposure to pain depictions, which may be regarded as functional in a range of contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira A. Preis
- Georg-August University of Goettingen, Georg-Elias-Mueller Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goßlerstraße 14, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Birgit Kröner-Herwig
- Georg-August University of Goettingen, Georg-Elias-Mueller Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Goßlerstraße 14, 37073, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Carsten Schmidt-Samoa
- University Medical Center Goettingen, Department of Cognitive Neurology, MR Research in Neurology and Psychiatry, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter Dechent
- University Medical Center Goettingen, Department of Cognitive Neurology, MR Research in Neurology and Psychiatry, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Antonia Barke
- Philipps University of Marburg, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
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34
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Stark EA, Parsons CE, Van Hartevelt TJ, Charquero-Ballester M, McManners H, Ehlers A, Stein A, Kringelbach ML. Post-traumatic stress influences the brain even in the absence of symptoms: A systematic, quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 56:207-21. [PMID: 26192104 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Stress affects brain function, and may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Considerable empirical data for the neurobiology of PTSD has been derived from neuroimaging studies, although findings have proven inconsistent. We used an activation likelihood estimation analysis to explore differences in brain activity between adults with and without PTSD in response to affective stimuli. We separated studies by type of control group: trauma-exposed and trauma-naïve. This revealed distinct patterns of differences in functional activity. Compared to trauma-exposed controls, regions of the basal ganglia were differentially active in PTSD; whereas the comparison with trauma-naïve controls revealed differential involvement in the right anterior insula, precuneus, cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices known to be involved in emotional regulation. Changes in activity in the amygdala and parahippocampal cortex distinguished PTSD from both control groups. Results suggest that trauma has a measurable, enduring effect upon the functional dynamics of the brain, even in individuals who experience trauma but do not develop PTSD. These findings contribute to the understanding of whole-brain network activity following trauma, and its transition to clinical PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Stark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Scars of War Foundation, The Queen's College, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C E Parsons
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Scars of War Foundation, The Queen's College, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
| | - T J Van Hartevelt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Scars of War Foundation, The Queen's College, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - M Charquero-Ballester
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Scars of War Foundation, The Queen's College, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - H McManners
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Scars of War Foundation, The Queen's College, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - A Ehlers
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - A Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - M L Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; The Scars of War Foundation, The Queen's College, Oxford, United Kingdom; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark.
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35
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Wang Q, Zhang Z, Dong F, Chen L, Zheng L, Guo X, Li J. Anterior insula GABA levels correlate with emotional aspects of empathy: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113845. [PMID: 25419976 PMCID: PMC4242717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Empathy is a multidimensional construct referring to the capacity to understand and share the emotional and affective states of another person. Cerebral γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic levels are associated with a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the role of the GABA system in different dimensions of empathy has not been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-two right-handed healthy volunteers took part in this study. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine GABA concentrations in the anterior insula (AI) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and to examine the relationship between the GABA concentrations and the subcomponents of empathy evaluated by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). RESULT Pearson correlation analyses (two-tailed) showed that AI GABA was significantly associated with the empathy concern score (r = 0.584, p<0.05) and the personal distress score (r = 0.538, p<0.05) but not significantly associated with other empathy subscales. No significant correlation was found between ACC GABA and empathy subscores. CONCLUSION Left AI GABA was positively correlated with the emotional aspects of empathy. These preliminary findings call into question whether AI GABA alterations might predict empathy dysfunction in major psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, which have been described as deficits in emotional empathic abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianfeng Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuwei Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Dong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Luguang Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Zheng
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiuyan Guo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianqi Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail:
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36
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Vigil JM, Strenth C. No pain, no social gains: A social-signaling perspective of human pain behaviors. World J Anesthesiol 2014; 3:18-30. [DOI: 10.5313/wja.v3.i1.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2013] [Revised: 09/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/03/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this review article, we describe a social-signaling perspective of human pain and pain empathizing behaviors which is based on the premise that pain percepts evolved to serve both intrapersonal as well as interpersonal, communicative functions. This perspective offers a generative framework for understanding the natural origin and proximate expression of felt pain and pain empathizing behaviors. The basic thesis is that humans evolved sensory-behavioral heuristics for perceiving and inhibiting exogenous and endogenous pain sensations as part of more general expressive styles characterized by the demonstration of vulnerability gestures (i.e., trustworthiness cues) versus empowerment gestures (i.e., capacity cues), and these styles ultimately facilitate broader self-protection and social novelty-seeking life-history behavior strategies, respectively. We review the extant literature on how social contextual factors (e.g., audience characteristics) and how structural and functional components of individual’s social network appear to influence the expression of pain behaviors in ways that support basic predictions from the social-signaling perspective. We also show how the perspective can be used to interpret conventional findings of sex differences in pain percepts and pain empathizing behaviors and for predicting how the situational context and individual’s peer networks modulate these differences in vitro and in vitro. We conclude the article by describing how pain researchers may better understand how varying levels and divergent directions of changes in affect tend to co-occur with systematic changes in internal vs external pain sensitivities, and thus why, from an evolutionary perspective, pain may occur in the presence and absence of physical tissue damage.
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