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Trujillo-Llano C, Sainz-Ballesteros A, Suarez-Ardila F, Gonzalez-Gadea ML, Ibáñez A, Herrera E, Baez S. Neuroanatomical markers of social cognition in neglected adolescents. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100642. [PMID: 38800539 PMCID: PMC11127280 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Growing up in neglectful households can impact multiple aspects of social cognition. However, research on neglect's effects on social cognition processes and their neuroanatomical correlates during adolescence is scarce. Here, we aimed to comprehensively assess social cognition processes (recognition of basic and contextual emotions, theory of mind, the experience of envy and Schadenfreude and empathy for pain) and their structural brain correlates in adolescents with legal neglect records within family-based care. First, we compared neglected adolescents (n = 27) with control participants (n = 25) on context-sensitive social cognition tasks while controlling for physical and emotional abuse and executive and intellectual functioning. Additionally, we explored the grey matter correlates of these domains through voxel-based morphometry. Compared to controls, neglected adolescents exhibited lower performance in contextual emotional recognition and theory of mind, higher levels of envy and Schadenfreude and diminished empathy. Physical and emotional abuse and executive or intellectual functioning did not explain these effects. Moreover, social cognition scores correlated with brain volumes in regions subserving social cognition and emotional processing. Our results underscore the potential impact of neglect on different aspects of social cognition during adolescence, emphasizing the necessity for preventive and intervention strategies to address these deficits in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Trujillo-Llano
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Agustín Sainz-Ballesteros
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Department for High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - María Luz Gonzalez-Gadea
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Eduar Herrera
- Universidad Icesi, Departamento de Estudios Psicológicos, Cali, Colombia
| | - Sandra Baez
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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2
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Li T, Xiong Q, Shi R, Yi L. Autistic and Non-autistic Children's Pain Perception is Modulated by Their First-Hand Pain Sensitivity and Theory of Mind. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2024; 52:1173-1182. [PMID: 38345657 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-024-01176-y] [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] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
The current study examined whether autistic children's perception of others' pain could be modulated by their first-hand pain sensitivity and theory of mind (ToM). We measured the first-hand pain sensitivity, the rating of others' pain intensity, and the performance in the ToM tasks in 43 5- to 8-year-old autistic and 30 neurotypical children. Our results revealed hyposensitivity to first-hand pain, underestimation of others' pain intensity, as well as difficulties in the False Belief subtasks of ToM in autistic children. Furthermore, we detected an interaction between children's first-hand pain sensitivity and ToM in predicting their perception of others' pain. To be specific, for autistic and NT children with normal or hyper-sensitivity to first-hand pain, better performance on ToM predicted higher ratings for others' pain intensity; while for autistic and NT children with hyposensitivity to first-hand pain, ToM did not predict ratings for others' pain intensity. Our study contributes to the understanding of pain perception in young children and provides implications for clinical practices to improve social understanding in autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianbi Li
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qianhan Xiong
- Department of Counseling Psychology, Social Psychology, and Counseling, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
| | - Ruoxi Shi
- Qingdao Autism Research Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Li Yi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU Peking University, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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3
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Nejati V, Mardanpour A, Zabihzaheh A, Estaji R, Vaziri ZS, Shahidi S. The role of prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction in interpersonal comfort and emotional approach. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21636. [PMID: 38062055 PMCID: PMC10703804 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48099-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Our perception of physical distance to individuals and stimuli is influenced by our mental distance and relatedness. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in interpersonal comfortable distance and approach behaviors towards emotional stimuli. Twenty healthy volunteers received brain stimulation in four separate sessions with a one-week interval, including anodal left dlPFC, anodal right vmPFC, anodal rTPJ, and sham condition, with an extracranial return electrode. Our results revealed an increase in interpersonal distance during anodal rTPJ stimulation and a decrease in distance to positive pictures during anodal vmPFC stimulation. These findings suggest that the rTPJ plays a role in the perceptual component of self-other distancing, while the vmPFC is involved in approaching positive emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Nejati
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Aylin Mardanpour
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Zabihzaheh
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Estaji
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra S Vaziri
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahriar Shahidi
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
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4
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The relationship between narcissism and empathy: A meta-analytic review. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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5
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Martínez-Pernía D, Cea I, Troncoso A, Blanco K, Calderón Vergara J, Baquedano C, Araya-Veliz C, Useros-Olmo A, Huepe D, Carrera V, Mack Silva V, Vergara M. "I am feeling tension in my whole body": An experimental phenomenological study of empathy for pain. Front Psychol 2023; 13:999227. [PMID: 36687843 PMCID: PMC9845790 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.999227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Traditionally, empathy has been studied from two main perspectives: the theory-theory approach and the simulation theory approach. These theories claim that social emotions are fundamentally constituted by mind states in the brain. In contrast, classical phenomenology and recent research based on the enactive theories consider empathy as the basic process of contacting others' emotional experiences through direct bodily perception and sensation. Objective This study aims to enrich the knowledge of the empathic experience of pain using an experimental phenomenological method. Materials and methods Implementing an experimental paradigm used in affective neuroscience, we exposed 28 healthy adults to a video of sportspersons suffering physical accidents while practicing extreme sports. Immediately after watching the video, each participant underwent a phenomenological interview to gather data on embodied, multi-layered dimensions (bodily sensations, emotions, and motivations) and temporal aspects of empathic experience. We also performed quantitative analyses of the phenomenological categories. Results Experiential access to the other person's painful experience involves four main themes. Bodily resonance: participants felt a multiplicity of bodily, affective, and kinesthetic sensations in coordination with the sportsperson's bodily actions. Attentional focus: some participants centered their attention more on their own personal discomfort and sensations of rejection, while others on the pain and suffering experienced by the sportspersons. Kinesthetic motivation: some participants experienced the feeling in their bodies to avoid or escape from watching the video, while others experienced the need to help the sportspersons avoid suffering any injury while practicing extreme sports. The temporality of experience: participants witnessed temporal fluctuations in their experiences, bringing intensity changes in their bodily resonance, attentional focus, and kinesthetic motivation. Finally, two experiential structures were found: one structure is self-centered empathic experience, characterized by bodily resonance, attentional focus centered on the participant's own experience of seeing the sportsperson suffering, and self-protective kinesthetic motivation; the other structure is other-centered empathic experience, characterized by bodily resonance, attentional focus centered on the sportsperson, and prosocial kinesthetic motivation to help them. Discussion We show how phenomenological data may contribute to comprehending empathy for pain in social neuroscience. In addition, we address the phenomenological aspect of the enactive approach to the three dimensions of an embodiment of human consciousness, especially the intersubjective dimension. Also, based on our results, we suggest an extension of the enactive theory of non-interactive social experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Martínez-Pernía
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile,Faculty of Medicine, Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile,Faculty of Medicine, Memory and Neuropsychiatric Clinic (CMYN), Neurology Service, Hospital del Salvador, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile,*Correspondence: David Martínez-Pernía,
| | - Ignacio Cea
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile,Philosophy Department, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandro Troncoso
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Kevin Blanco
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jorge Calderón Vergara
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Constanza Baquedano
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Ana Useros-Olmo
- Unidad de Daño Cerebral, Hospital Beata María Ana, Madrid, Spain,Departamento de Fisioterapia and Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - David Huepe
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Valentina Carrera
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Victoria Mack Silva
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mayte Vergara
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
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6
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Lalani B, Gray S, Mitra-Ganguli T. Systems Thinking in an era of climate change: Does cognitive neuroscience hold the key to improving environmental decision making? A perspective on Climate-Smart Agriculture. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 17:1145744. [PMID: 37181865 PMCID: PMC10174047 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2023.1145744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Systems Thinking (ST) can be defined as a mental construct that recognises patterns and connections in a particular complex system to make the "best decision" possible. In the field of sustainable agriculture and climate change, higher degrees of ST are assumed to be associated with more successful adaptation strategies under changing conditions, and "better" environmental decision making in a number of environmental and cultural settings. Future climate change scenarios highlight the negative effects on agricultural productivity worldwide, particularly in low-income countries (LICs) situated in the Global South. Alongside this, current measures of ST are limited by their reliance on recall, and are prone to possible measurement errors. Using Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), as an example case study, in this article we explore: (i) ST from a social science perspective; (ii) cognitive neuroscience tools that could be used to explore ST abilities in the context of LICs; (iii) an exploration of the possible correlates of systems thinking: observational learning, prospective thinking/memory and the theory of planned behaviour and (iv) a proposed theory of change highlighting the integration of social science frameworks and a cognitive neuroscience perspective. We find, recent advancements in the field of cognitive neuroscience such as Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) provide exciting potential to explore previously hidden forms of cognition, especially in a low-income country/field setting; improving our understanding of environmental decision-making and the ability to more accurately test more complex hypotheses where access to laboratory studies is severely limited. We highlight that ST may correlate with other key aspects involved in environmental decision-making and posit motivating farmers via specific brain networks would: (a) enhance understanding of CSA practices (e.g., via the frontoparietal network extending from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to the parietal cortex (PC) a control hub involved in ST and observational learning) such as tailoring training towards developing improved ST abilities among farmers and involving observational learning more explicitly and (b) motivate farmers to use such practices [e.g., via the network between the DLPFC and nucleus accumbens (NAc)] which mediates reward processing and motivation by focussing on a reward/emotion to engage farmers. Finally, our proposed interdisciplinary theory of change can be used as a starting point to encourage discussion and guide future research in this space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baqir Lalani
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Baqir Lalani
| | - Steven Gray
- Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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7
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Willems RM. MA-EM: A neurocognitive model for understanding mixed and ambiguous emotions and morality. Cogn Neurosci 2023; 14:51-60. [PMID: 36282102 DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2022.2132223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Understanding emotions and moral intentions of other people is integral to being human. Humanities scholars have long recognized the complex and ambiguous nature of emotions and morality. People are rarely 'just' happy, or sad. Neither are they 'just' good or bad people. Despite this, most knowledge about the psychological and neural basis of emotions and moral understanding comes from experiments investigating unidimensional and non-ambiguous emotions and morality. The goal of this paper is twofold. First I want to point out why mixed and ambiguous emotions and morality are a promising research topic for cognitive neuroscientists. Observing or experiencing mixed or ambiguous emotions and morality tends to have a strong impact on humans. This impact is clearly visible in narratives and fiction, and I will argue that narratives make an excellent stimulus to study the effects of emotional and moral ambiguity. Second, I will sketch a model to help guide research in this promising corner of human cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roel M Willems
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen The Netherlands
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8
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Altavilla D, Adornetti I, Chiera A, Deriu V, Acciai A, Ferretti F. Introspective self-narrative modulates the neuronal response during the emphatic process: an event-related potentials (ERPs) study. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:2725-2738. [PMID: 36066588 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06441-4] [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: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is the ability to perceive and understand others' emotional states generating a similar mental state in the self. Previous behavioural studies have shown that self-reflection can enhance the empathic process. The present event-related potentials' study aims to investigate whether self-reflection, elicited by an introspective self-narrative task, modulates the neuronal response to eye expressions and improves the accuracy of empathic process. The 29 participants included in the final sample were divided into two groups: an introspection group (IG) (n = 15), who received an introspective writing task, and a control group (CG) (n = 14), who completed a not-introspective writing task. For both groups, the electroencephalographic and behavioural responses to images depicting eye expressions taken from the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Theory of Mind test were recorded pre- (T0) and post- (T1) 7 days of writing. The main result showed that only the IG presented a different P300 amplitude in response to eye expressions at T1 compared to T0 on the left centre-frontal montage. No significant results on accuracy at T1 compared to T0 were found. These findings seem to suggest that the introspective writing task modulates attention and implicit evaluation of the socio-emotional stimuli. Results are discussed with reference to the hypothesis that such neuronal modulation is linked to an increase in the embodied simulation process underlying affective empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Altavilla
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, "Roma Tre" University, Via Ostiense, 234 00146, Rome, Italy.
| | - Ines Adornetti
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, "Roma Tre" University, Via Ostiense, 234 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Chiera
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, "Roma Tre" University, Via Ostiense, 234 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Deriu
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, "Roma Tre" University, Via Ostiense, 234 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Acciai
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, "Roma Tre" University, Via Ostiense, 234 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- Cosmic Lab, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, "Roma Tre" University, Via Ostiense, 234 00146, Rome, Italy
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9
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Robinson CSH, Claus ED, Calhoun V, Swartz M, Fokas K, Witkiewitz K. Association between empathy and drinking among a community sample of heavy drinkers: Sex differences and neural correlates. Addict Behav 2022; 132:107346. [PMID: 35533589 PMCID: PMC9547551 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107346] [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: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major health problem, yet most individuals with AUD do not perceive a need for formal treatment and do not receive treatment. The lack of treatment seeking among individuals with AUD may suggest a lack of self-awareness and insight into the seriousness of AUD related problems, as well as lack of empathy for the impact of one's drinking on others. Recent work has suggested that empathy may be impaired among individuals seeking treatment for AUD. Further these impairments may differ by sex such that males with lower empathy reported more drinking consequences and greater drinking intensity, but there was no association between empathy and drinking among females. The current study used regression analyses (alpha = 0.05) to examine the association between empathy (as measured by the four scales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index), independent components of gray matter volume in regions associated with empathy, and drinking variables among non-treatment seeking drinkers with AUD (N = 136) and also examined these effects by sex. Results showed greater perspective taking was associated with less temporoparietal and frontotemporal gray matter volume (B(SE) = -0.912 (0.043), p = 0.034). An interaction between perspective taking and sex was associated with craving, such that higher perspective taking was associated with less craving for males only (B(SE) = -0.48 (0.243), p = 0.049; R2 = 0.087). Empathic concern was related to lower percent heavy drinking days for both males and females (B(SE) = -1.57 (0.743), p = 0.035; R2 = 0.11). The current study found empathy may be an important predictor of craving for males and frequency of heavy drinking for males and females. Future work should investigate whether empathy predicts treatment seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S H Robinson
- The University of New Mexico, USA; The Mind Research Network, USA; The University of Chicago, USA.
| | - Eric D Claus
- The Mind Research Network, USA; The Pennsylvania State University, USA
| | - Vince Calhoun
- The Mind Research Network, USA; Georgia State University, USA
| | - Megan Swartz
- The University of New Mexico, USA; The Mind Research Network, USA
| | | | - Katie Witkiewitz
- The University of New Mexico, USA; The Mind Research Network, USA
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10
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Poon P, Flack JC, Krakauer DC. Institutional dynamics and learning networks. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267688. [PMID: 35576210 PMCID: PMC9109929 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Institutions have been described as ‘the humanly devised constraints that structure political, economic, and social interactions.’ This broad definition of institutions spans social norms, laws, companies, and even scientific theories. We describe a non-equilibrium, multi-scale learning framework supporting institutional quasi-stationarity, periodicity, and switching. Individuals collectively construct ledgers constituting institutions. Agents read only a part of the ledger–positive and negative opinions of an institution—its “public position” whose value biases one agent’s preferences over those of rivals. These positions encode collective perception and action relating to laws, the power of parties in political office, and advocacy for scientific theories. We consider a diversity of complex temporal phenomena in the history of social and research culture (e.g. scientific revolutions) and provide a new explanation for ubiquitous cultural resistance to change and novelty–a systemic endowment effect through hysteresis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Poon
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, United States of America
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11
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Abstract
Already as infants humans are more fearful than our closest living primate relatives, the chimpanzees. Yet heightened fearfulness is mostly considered maladaptive, as it is thought to increase the risk of developing anxiety and depression. How can this human fear paradox be explained? The fearful ape hypothesis presented herein stipulates that, in the context of cooperative caregiving and provisioning unique to human great ape group life, heightened fearfulness was adaptive. This is because from early in ontogeny fearfulness expressed and perceived enhanced care-based responding and provisioning from, while concurrently increasing cooperation with, mothers and others. This explanation is based on a synthesis of existing research with human infants and children, demonstrating a link between fearfulness, greater sensitivity to and accuracy in detecting fear in others, and enhanced levels of cooperative behaviors. These insights critically advance current evolutionary theories of human cooperation by adding an early-developing affective component to the human cooperative makeup. Moreover, the current proposal has important cultural, societal, and health implications, as it challenges the predominant view in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies that commonly construe fearfulness as a maladaptive trait, potentially ignoring its evolutionary adaptive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Grossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
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12
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Zhang M, Li Z, Wang L, Yang S, Zou F, Wang Y, Wu X, Luo Y. The Resting-State Electroencephalogram Microstate Correlations With Empathy and Their Moderating Effect on the Relationship Between Empathy and Disgust. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:626507. [PMID: 34262440 PMCID: PMC8273331 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.626507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have a natural ability to understand the emotions and feelings of others, whether one actually witnesses the situation of another, perceives it from a photograph, reads about it in a fiction book, or merely imagines it. This is the phenomenon of empathy, which requires us to mentally represent external information to experience the emotions of others. Studies have shown that individuals with high empathy have high anterior insula and adjacent frontal operculum activation when they are aware of negative emotions in others. As a negative emotion, disgust processing involves insula coupling. What are the neurophysiological characteristics for regulating the levels of empathy and disgust? To answer this question, we collected electroencephalogram microstates (EEG-ms) of 196 college students at rest and used the Disgust Scale and Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The results showed that: (1) there was a significant positive correlation between empathy and disgust sensitivity; (2) the empathy score and the intensity of transition possibility between EEG-ms C and D were significantly positively correlated; and (3) the connection strength between the transition possibility of EEG-ms C and D could adjust the relationship between the disgust sensitivity score and the empathy score. This study provides new neurophysiological characteristics for an understanding of the regulate relationship between empathy and disgust and provides a new perspective on emotion and attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhaoxian Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Shiyan Yang
- Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Feng Zou
- Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xin Wu
- Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yanyan Luo
- School of Nursing, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
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13
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Abstract
Social interaction entails keeping an eye on good and bad things happening to others. A new study suggests that neurons in rat anterior cingulate cortex encode the attention paid to rewards and shocks to conspecifics, independently of empathically feeling their joy and pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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14
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Kang W, Pineda Hernández S, Mei J. Neural Mechanisms of Observational Learning: A Neural Working Model. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:609312. [PMID: 33967717 PMCID: PMC8100516 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.609312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans and some animal species are able to learn stimulus-response (S-R) associations by observing others' behavior. It saves energy and time and avoids the danger of trying the wrong actions. Observational learning (OL) depends on the capability of mapping the actions of others into our own behaviors, processing outcomes, and combining this knowledge to serve our goals. Observational learning plays a central role in the learning of social skills, cultural knowledge, and tool use. Thus, it is one of the fundamental processes in which infants learn about and from adults (Byrne and Russon, 1998). In this paper, we review current methodological approaches employed in observational learning research. We highlight the important role of the prefrontal cortex and cognitive flexibility to support this learning process, develop a new neural working model of observational learning, illustrate how imitation relates to observational learning, and provide directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixi Kang
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jie Mei
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec City, QC, Canada
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15
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Paradiso E, Gazzola V, Keysers C. Neural mechanisms necessary for empathy-related phenomena across species. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:107-115. [PMID: 33756399 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The neural basis of empathy and prosociality has received much interest over the past decades. Neuroimaging studies localized a network of brain regions with activity that correlates with empathy. Here, we review how the emergence of rodent and nonhuman primate models of empathy-related phenomena supplements human lesion and neuromodulation studies providing evidence that activity in several nodes is necessary for these phenomena to occur. We review proof that (i) affective states triggered by the emotions of others, (ii) motivations to act in ways that benefit others, and (iii) emotion recognition can be altered by perturbing brain activity in many nodes identified by human neuroimaging, with strongest evidence for the cingulate and the amygdala. We also include evidence that manipulations of the oxytocin system and analgesics can have such effects, the latter providing causal evidence for the recruitment of an individual's own nociceptive system to feel with the pain of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Paradiso
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Christian Keysers
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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16
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Schmidt SNL, Hass J, Kirsch P, Mier D. The human mirror neuron system-A common neural basis for social cognition? Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13781. [PMID: 33576063 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
According to the theory of embodied simulation, mirror neurons (MN) in our brain's motor system are the neuronal basis of all social-cognitive processes. The assumption of such a mirroring process in humans could be supported by results showing that within one person the same region is involved in different social cognition tasks. We conducted an fMRI-study with 75 healthy participants who completed three tasks: imitation, empathy, and theory of mind. We analyzed the data using group conjunction analyses and individual shared voxel counts. Across tasks, across and within participants, we find common activation in inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal cortex, fusiform gyrus, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and amygdala. Our results provide evidence for a shared neural basis for different social-cognitive processes, indicating that interpersonal understanding might occur by embodied simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie N L Schmidt
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Joachim Hass
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.,Faculty of Applied Psychology, SRH University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Daniela Mier
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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17
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McDonald B, Goldstein TR, Kanske P. Could Acting Training Improve Social Cognition and Emotional Control? Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:348. [PMID: 33173473 PMCID: PMC7538666 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brennan McDonald
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thalia R Goldstein
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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18
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Hartmann H, Rütgen M, Riva F, Lamm C. Another's pain in my brain: No evidence that placebo analgesia affects the sensory-discriminative component in empathy for pain. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117397. [PMID: 32971262 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The shared representations account of empathy suggests that sharing other people's emotions relies on neural processes similar to those engaged when directly experiencing such emotions. Recent research corroborated this by showing that placebo analgesia induced for first-hand pain resulted in reduced pain empathy and decreased activation in shared neural networks. However, those studies did not report any placebo-related variation of somatosensory engagement during pain empathy. The experimental paradigms used in these studies did not direct attention towards a specific body part in pain, which may explain the absence of effects for somatosensation. The main objective of this preregistered study was to implement a paradigm overcoming this limitation, and to investigate whether placebo analgesia may also modulate the sensory-discriminative component of empathy for pain. We induced a localized, first-hand placebo analgesia effect in the right hand of 45 participants by means of a placebo gel and conditioning techniques, and compared this to the left hand as a control condition. Participants underwent a pain task in the MRI scanner, receiving painful or non-painful electrical stimulation on their left or right hand, or witnessing another person receiving such stimulation. In contrast to a robust localized placebo analgesia effect for self-experienced pain, the empathy condition showed no differences between the two hands, neither for behavioral nor neural responses. We thus report no evidence for somatosensory sharing in empathy, while replicating previous studies showing overlapping brain activity in the affective-motivational component for first-hand and empathy for pain. Hence, in a more rigorous test aiming to overcome limitations of previous work, we again find no causal evidence for the engagement of somatosensory sharing in empathy. Our study refines the understanding of the neural underpinnings of empathy for pain, and the use of placebo analgesia in investigating such models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Hartmann
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Rütgen
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Federica Riva
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
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19
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Wade-Bohleber LM, Boeker H, Grimm S, Gärtner M, Ernst J, Recher DA, Buergi N, Seifritz E, Richter A. Depression is associated with hyperconnectivity of an introspective socio-affective network during the recall of formative relationship episodes. J Affect Disord 2020; 274:522-534. [PMID: 32663985 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression and the experience of early adversity are associated with impairments in interpersonal and social cognitive functioning. The neural mechanisms involved in these impairments remain insufficiently understood. METHODS In a sample of 48 depressed and 50 healthy participants, we explored seed-to-voxel functional connectivity (FC) during the recall of formative relationship episodes using functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS While depressive symptoms were associated with increased FC of brain regions that form an introspective socio-affective network, such as the precuneus, bilateral anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, left amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex, early adversity linked to decreased FC of brain regions mediating emotion processing such as the bilateral anterior insula and increased FC of the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus. LIMITATIONS We report both results that are corrected for the number of seeds tested in FC analyses using strict Bonferroni adjustments and unadjusted results as part of an exploratory analysis. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that depression and early adversity are associated with differential FC patterns in the brain during the recall of formative relationship episodes. Hyperconnectivity of an introspective socio-affective network associated with depressive symptoms may link to enhanced self-focus and emotional reactivity. Patterns of neural activation associated with early adversity may underpin numbed affective states or enhanced affective memory regulation. Overall, these findings inform about the neural underpinnings of a reflective ability that is predictive of the adaptation to depression and to early adversity and relevant for psychotherapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Wade-Bohleber
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland; School of Applied Psychology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - H Boeker
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland
| | - S Grimm
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland; Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - M Gärtner
- Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - J Ernst
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland
| | - D A Recher
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland
| | - N Buergi
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland
| | - E Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland
| | - A Richter
- Department of Consultation-Liaison-Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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20
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Cracco E, Keysers C, Clauwaert A, Brass M. Representing Multiple Observed Actions in the Motor System. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:3631-3641. [PMID: 30295709 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
There is now converging evidence that others' actions are represented in the motor system. However, social cognition requires us to represent not only the actions but also the interactions of others. To do so, it is imperative that the motor system can represent multiple observed actions. The current fMRI study investigated whether this is possible by measuring brain activity from 29 participants while they observed 2 right hands performing sign language gestures. Three key results were obtained. First, brain activity in the premotor and parietal motor cortex was stronger when 2 hands performed 2 different gestures than when 1 hand performed a single gesture. Second, both individual observed gestures could be decoded from brain activity in the same 2 regions. Third, observing 2 different gestures compared with 2 identical gestures activated brain areas related to motor conflict, and this activity was correlated with parietal motor activity. Together, these results show that the motor system is able to represent multiple observed actions, and as such reveal a potential mechanism by which third-party social encounters could be processed in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiel Cracco
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Christian Keysers
- Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, BA Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Amanda Clauwaert
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Marcel Brass
- Ghent University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Gent, Belgium
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21
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van Dongen JDM. The Empathic Brain of Psychopaths: From Social Science to Neuroscience in Empathy. Front Psychol 2020; 11:695. [PMID: 32477201 PMCID: PMC7241099 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is a crucial human ability, because of its importance to prosocial behavior, and for moral development. A deficit in empathic abilities, especially affective empathy, is thought to play an important role in psychopathic personality. Empathic abilities have traditionally been studied within the social and behavioral sciences using behavioral methods, but recent work in neuroscience has begun to elucidate the neural underpinnings of empathic processing in relation to psychopathy. In this review, current knowledge in the social neuroscience of empathy is discussed and a comprehensive view of the neuronal mechanisms that underlie empathy in psychopathic personality is provided. Furthermore, it will be argued that using classification based on overt behavior, we risk failing to identify important mechanisms involved in the psychopathology of psychopathy. In the last decade, there is a growing attention in combining knowledge from (neuro)biological research areas with psychology and psychiatry, to form a new basis for categorizing individuals. Recently, a converging framework has been put forward that applies such approach to antisocial individuals, including psychopathy. In this bio-cognitive approach, it is suggested to use information from different levels, to form latent categories on which individuals are grouped, that may better reflect underlying (neurobiological) dysfunctions. Subsequently, these newly defined latent categories may be more effective in guiding interventions and treatment. In conclusion, in my view, the future understanding of the social brain of psychopaths lies in studying the complex networks in the brain in combination with the use of other levels of information (e.g., genetics and cognition). Based on that, profiles of individuals can be formed that can be used to guide neurophysiological informed personalized treatment interventions that ultimately reduce violent transgressions in individuals with psychopathic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josanne D. M. van Dongen
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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22
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Glucksman ML. The Therapeutic Relationship Reexamined: Clinical and Neurobiological Aspects of Empathic Attunement. Psychodyn Psychiatry 2020; 48:392-406. [PMID: 33779222 DOI: 10.1521/pdps.2020.48.4.392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This article explores salient aspects of the therapeutic relationship, including transference, nontransference (the "real" relationship), and empathic attunement. Evidence for a mirror neuron system mediating empathy in primates and humans is presented. A clinical illustration describes the interplay between impaired early attachment, developmental experience, psychopathology, mirror neuron dysfunction, and the role of empathic attunement toward facilitating clinical improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myron L Glucksman
- Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY Supervising and Training Analyst, The Psychoanalytic Institute, New York Medical College. Psychiatrist, Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT
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23
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Biased Competition Favoring Physical Over Emotional Pain: A Possible Explanation for the Link Between Early Adversity and Chronic Pain. Psychosom Med 2019; 80:880-890. [PMID: 30222711 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early adversity predisposes to chronic pain, but a mechanistic explanation is lacking. Survivors of early adversity with chronic pain often seem impaired in their ability to be aware of, understand, and express distressing emotions such as anger and fear in social contexts. In this context, it has been proposed that pain may at times serve as a "psychic regulator" by preventing awareness of more intolerable emotions. METHOD This narrative review builds on the premise that physical pain and emotional pain are conscious experiences that can compete for selective attention. We highlight mechanisms whereby the consequences of early adversity may put emotional pain at a competitive disadvantage. A case history, supportive research findings, and an evidence-based neurobiological model are presented. RESULTS Arising from abuse or neglect in childhood, impairments in the adult capacity to attend to and/or conceptualize the emotional meaning of felt distress may be associated with impaired engagement of the default network and impaired top-down modulation of affective response generation processes. Persistent and poorly conceptualized affective distress may be associated with reduced emotion regulation ability, reduced vagal tone, increased inflammation, and amplified nociceptive signals. Attention to physical pain may be reinforced by the temporary reduction in negative emotions that it causes. CONCLUSIONS These processes jointly promote biased competition favoring attention to physical pain and away from one's own emotions. They may constitute an unintentional analog of the phenomenon of self-injury in patients with borderline personality disorder in whom the intentional infliction of physical pain serves to downregulate intense emotional distress. Attending to, expressing, and understanding previously unacknowledged psychological distress unrelated to pain may facilitate recovery from chronic pain after early adversity. Mechanistic studies that can validate this clinically derived neurobiological hypothesis are urgently needed.
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24
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Cracco E, Cooper RP. Automatic imitation of multiple agents: A computational model. Cogn Psychol 2019; 113:101224. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2019.101224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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25
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Empathic perspective taking promotes interpersonal coordination through music. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12255. [PMID: 31439866 PMCID: PMC6706439 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48556-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Coordinated behavior promotes collaboration among humans. To shed light upon this relationship, we investigated whether and how interpersonal coordination is promoted by empathic perspective taking (EPT). In a joint music-making task, pairs of participants rotated electronic music-boxes, producing two streams of musical sounds that were meant to be played synchronously. Participants – who were not musically trained – were assigned to high and low EPT groups based on pre-experimental assessments using a standardized personality questionnaire. Results indicated that high EPT pairs were generally more accurate in synchronizing their actions. When instructed to lead the interaction, high and low EPT leaders were equally cooperative with followers, making their performance tempo more regular, presumably in order to increase their predictability and help followers to synchronize. Crucially, however, high EPT followers were better able to use this information to predict leaders’ behavior and thus improve interpersonal synchronization. Thus, empathic perspective taking promotes interpersonal coordination by enhancing accuracy in predicting others’ behavior while leaving the aptitude for cooperation unaltered. We argue that such predictive capacity relies on a sensorimotor mechanism responsible for simulating others’ actions in an anticipatory manner, leading to behavioral advantages that may impact social cognition on a broad scale.
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26
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Children with facial paralysis due to Moebius syndrome exhibit reduced autonomic modulation during emotion processing. J Neurodev Disord 2019; 11:12. [PMID: 31291910 PMCID: PMC6617955 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-019-9272-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial mimicry is crucial in the recognition of others' emotional state. Thus, the observation of others' facial expressions activates the same neural representation of that affective state in the observer, along with related autonomic and somatic responses. What happens, therefore, when someone cannot mimic others' facial expressions? METHODS We investigated whether psychophysiological emotional responses to others' facial expressions were impaired in 13 children (9 years) with Moebius syndrome (MBS), an extremely rare neurological disorder (1/250,000 live births) characterized by congenital facial paralysis. We inspected autonomic responses and vagal regulation through facial cutaneous thermal variations and by the computation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). These parameters provide measures of emotional arousal and show the autonomic adaptation to others' social cues. Physiological responses in children with MBS were recorded during dynamic facial expression observation and were compared to those of a control group (16 non-affected children, 9 years). RESULTS There were significant group effects on thermal patterns and RSA, with lower values in children with MBS. We also observed a mild deficit in emotion recognition in these patients. CONCLUSION Results support "embodied" theory, whereby the congenital inability to produce facial expressions induces alterations in the processing of facial expression of emotions. Such alterations may constitute a risk for emotion dysregulation.
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27
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van Donkersgoed RJM, de Jong S, Aan Het Rot M, Wunderink L, Lysaker PH, Hasson-Ohayon I, Aleman A, Pijnenborg GHM. Measuring empathy in schizophrenia: The Empathic Accuracy Task and its correlation with other empathy measures. Schizophr Res 2019; 208:153-159. [PMID: 31006615 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Empathy is an interpersonal process impaired in schizophrenia. Past studies have mainly used questionnaires or performance-based tasks with static cues to measure cognitive and affective empathy. We used the Empathic Accuracy Task (EAT) designed to capture dynamic aspects of empathy by using videoclips in which perceivers continuously judge emotionally charged stories. We compared individuals with schizophrenia with a healthy comparison group and assessed correlations among EAT and three other commonly used empathy measures. METHOD Patients (n = 92) and a healthy comparison group (n = 42) matched for age, gender and education completed the EAT, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy and Faux Pas. Differences between groups were analyzed and correlations were calculated between empathy measurement instruments. RESULTS The groups differed in EAT performance, with the comparison group outperforming patients. A moderating effect was found for emotional expressivity of the target: while both patients and the comparison group scored low when judging targets with low expressivity, the comparison group performed better than patients with more expressive targets. Though there were also group differences on the empathy questionnaires, EAT performance did not correlate with questionnaire scores. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with schizophrenia benefit less from the emotional expressivity of other people than the comparison group, which contributes to their impaired empathic accuracy. The lack of correlation between the EAT and the questionnaires suggests a distinction between self-report empathy and actual empathy performance. To explore empathic difficulties in real life, it is important to use instruments that take the interpersonal perspective into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J M van Donkersgoed
- University of Groningen, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Grote Kruisstraat 1/2, 9712 TS Groningen, the Netherlands; Dijk en Duin Parnassia Groep, Department of Psychotic Disorders, Westzijde 120, 1506 GB Zaandam, the Netherlands.
| | - S de Jong
- University of Groningen, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Grote Kruisstraat 1/2, 9712 TS Groningen, the Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Psychology, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, 1018 WT Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M Aan Het Rot
- University of Groningen, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Grote Kruisstraat 1/2, 9712 TS Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - L Wunderink
- GGZ Friesland, Sixmastraat 2, 8932 PA Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - P H Lysaker
- Roudeboush VA Medical Center, 1481 West 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States of America; Indiana University School of Medicine, 340 W 10th St #6200, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States of America
| | - I Hasson-Ohayon
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - A Aleman
- University of Groningen, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Grote Kruisstraat 1/2, 9712 TS Groningen, the Netherlands; BCN Neuro Imaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 2, 9713 AW Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - G H M Pijnenborg
- University of Groningen, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Grote Kruisstraat 1/2, 9712 TS Groningen, the Netherlands; GGZ Noord-Drenthe, Department of Psychotic Disorders, Dennenweg 9, 9404 LA Assen, the Netherlands
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28
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Rymarczyk K, Żurawski Ł, Jankowiak-Siuda K, Szatkowska I. Empathy in Facial Mimicry of Fear and Disgust: Simultaneous EMG-fMRI Recordings During Observation of Static and Dynamic Facial Expressions. Front Psychol 2019; 10:701. [PMID: 30971997 PMCID: PMC6445885 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Real-life faces are dynamic by nature, particularly when expressing emotion. Increasing evidence suggests that the perception of dynamic displays enhances facial mimicry and induces activation in widespread brain structures considered to be part of the mirror neuron system, a neuronal network linked to empathy. The present study is the first to investigate the relations among facial muscle responses, brain activity, and empathy traits while participants observed static and dynamic (videos) facial expressions of fear and disgust. During display presentation, blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal as well as muscle reactions of the corrugator supercilii and levator labii were recorded simultaneously from 46 healthy individuals (21 females). It was shown that both fear and disgust faces caused activity in the corrugator supercilii muscle, while perception of disgust produced facial activity additionally in the levator labii muscle, supporting a specific pattern of facial mimicry for these emotions. Moreover, individuals with higher, compared to individuals with lower, empathy traits showed greater activity in the corrugator supercilii and levator labii muscles; however, these responses were not differentiable between static and dynamic mode. Conversely, neuroimaging data revealed motion and emotional-related brain structures in response to dynamic rather than static stimuli among high empathy individuals. In line with this, there was a correlation between electromyography (EMG) responses and brain activity suggesting that the Mirror Neuron System, the anterior insula and the amygdala might constitute the neural correlates of automatic facial mimicry for fear and disgust. These results revealed that the dynamic property of (emotional) stimuli facilitates the emotional-related processing of facial expressions, especially among whose with high trait empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krystyna Rymarczyk
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Żurawski
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kamila Jankowiak-Siuda
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Iwona Szatkowska
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
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Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. Behav Neurol 2019; 2019:1312934. [PMID: 30881519 PMCID: PMC6387693 DOI: 10.1155/2019/1312934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Empathy has been conceptualized as comprising a cognitive and an emotional component, the latter being further divided into direct and indirect aspects, which refer, respectively, to the explicit evaluation of the observer's feelings while attending someone in an emotional situation and to the physiological response of the observer. Empathy has been previously investigated in several neurological disorders. Objective This study is aimed at investigating empathy in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). We hypothesize that, due to deafferentation following their injury, SCI patients will display difficulty in the processing of emotional stimuli and blunted empathic responses as compared to healthy controls. Materials and Methods 20 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) (12 males and 8 females, mean age = 50.9, standard deviation (SD) = 16.1 years; mean education = 10.9, SD = 4.1 years) were included in the study and compared to 20 matched healthy subjects. Participants were investigated using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y) (STAI-Y), the Beck Depression Scale, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Moreover, participants were further evaluated by means of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which explores both cognitive and emotional aspects of empathy, and through an experimental protocol based on the use of a modified version of the computerized Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) to evaluate emotional (direct and indirect) empathy and the ability to judge the valence of complex emotional scenes. Results As compared to healthy controls, SCI patients reported higher scores on the Perspective-Taking subscale of the IRI, while, on the modified MET, they were less accurate in identifying the valence of neutral scenes, notwithstanding their spared direct and indirect emotional empathy ability. Furthermore, we found a significant negative correlation between the time interval since injury and the direct emotional empathy scores on the positive images, as well as a negative correlation with the indirect emotional empathy scores on both positive and neutral images, indicating a blunting of the empathic responses as time elapses. Conclusion Results suggest that SCI patients, when analyzing the meaning of emotional stimuli, tend to rely on a cognitive empathy strategy rather than on emotion simulation.
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Guellaï B, Callin A, Bevilacqua F, Schwarz D, Pitti A, Boucenna S, Gratier M. Sensus Communis: Some Perspectives on the Origins of Non-synchronous Cross-Sensory Associations. Front Psychol 2019; 10:523. [PMID: 30899237 PMCID: PMC6416194 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adults readily make associations between stimuli perceived consecutively through different sense modalities, such as shapes and sounds. Researchers have only recently begun to investigate such correspondences in infants but only a handful of studies have focused on infants less than a year old. Are infants able to make cross-sensory correspondences from birth? Do certain correspondences require extensive real-world experience? Some studies have shown that newborns are able to match stimuli perceived in different sense modalities. Yet, the origins and mechanisms underlying these abilities are unclear. The present paper explores these questions and reviews some hypotheses on the emergence and early development of cross-sensory associations and their possible links with language development. Indeed, if infants can perceive cross-sensory correspondences between events that share certain features but are not strictly contingent or co-located, one may posit that they are using a "sixth sense" in Aristotle's sense of the term. And a likely candidate for explaining this mechanism, as Aristotle suggested, is movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahia Guellaï
- Laboratoire Ethologie, Cognition, Développement, Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France
| | - Annabel Callin
- Laboratoire Ethologie, Cognition, Développement, Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France
| | | | | | - Alexandre Pitti
- Laboratoire ETIS, Université Cergy-Pontoise, Cergy-Pontoise, France
| | - Sofiane Boucenna
- Laboratoire ETIS, Université Cergy-Pontoise, Cergy-Pontoise, France
| | - Maya Gratier
- Laboratoire Ethologie, Cognition, Développement, Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France
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Simonsen A, Fusaroli R, Skewes JC, Roepstorff A, Campbell-Meiklejohn D, Mors O, Bliksted V. Enhanced Automatic Action Imitation and Intact Imitation-Inhibition in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2019; 45:87-95. [PMID: 29474687 PMCID: PMC6293210 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sby006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Imitation plays a key role in social learning and in facilitating social interactions and likely constitutes a basic building block of social cognition that supports higher-level social abilities. Recent findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia have imitation impairments that could contribute to the social impairments associated with the disorder. However, extant studies have specifically assessed voluntary imitation or automatic imitation of emotional stimuli without controlling for potential confounders. The imitation impairments seen might therefore be secondary to other cognitive, motoric, or emotional deficits associated with the disorder. To overcome this issue, we used an automatic imitation paradigm with nonemotional stimuli to assess automatic imitation and the top-down modulation of imitation where participants were required to lift one of 2 fingers according to a number shown on the screen while observing the same or the other finger movement. In addition, we used a control task with a visual cue in place of a moving finger, to isolate the effect of observing finger movement from other visual cueing effects. Data from 33 patients (31 medicated) and 40 matched healthy controls were analyzed. Patients displayed enhanced imitation and intact top-down modulation of imitation. The enhanced imitation seen in patients may have been medication induced as larger effects were seen in patients receiving higher antipsychotic doses. In sum, we did not find an imitation impairment in schizophrenia. The results suggest that previous findings of impaired imitation in schizophrenia might have been due to other cognitive, motoric, and/or emotional deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arndis Simonsen
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark,The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark,The Interacting Minds Centre, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus, Denmark,The Psychiatric Centre, Landssjúkrahúsið, National Hospital of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands,Ílegusavnið, The Genetic Biobank of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Psychosis Research Unit, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov (AUHR), Skovagervej 2, 8240 Risskov, Denmark; tel: +45-29425875, fax: +45-78471609, e-mail:
| | - Riccardo Fusaroli
- The Interacting Minds Centre, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Joshua Charles Skewes
- The Interacting Minds Centre, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andreas Roepstorff
- The Interacting Minds Centre, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Ole Mors
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark,The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Vibeke Bliksted
- Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark,The Interacting Minds Centre, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus, Denmark
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Timmers I, Park AL, Fischer MD, Kronman CA, Heathcote LC, Hernandez JM, Simons LE. Is Empathy for Pain Unique in Its Neural Correlates? A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies of Empathy. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:289. [PMID: 30542272 PMCID: PMC6277791 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is an essential component of our social lives, allowing us to understand and share other people's affective and sensory states, including pain. Evidence suggests a core neural network—including anterior insula (AI) and mid-cingulate cortex (MCC)—is involved in empathy for pain. However, a similar network is associated to empathy for non-pain affective states, raising the question whether empathy for pain is unique in its neural correlates. Furthermore, it is yet unclear whether neural correlates converge across different stimuli and paradigms that evoke pain-empathy. We performed a coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis to identify neural correlates of empathy, assess commonalities and differences between empathy for pain and for non-pain negative affective states, and differences between pain-empathy evoking stimuli (i.e., facial pain expressions vs. acute pain inflictions) and paradigms (i.e., perceptual/affective vs. cognitive/evaluative paradigms). Following a systematic search, data from 128 functional brain imaging studies presenting whole-brain results of an empathy condition vs. baseline/neutral condition were extracted. Synthesizing neural correlates of empathy confirmed a core network comprising AI, MCC, postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobe, thalamus, amygdala, and brainstem. There was considerable overlap in networks for empathy for pain and empathy for non-pain negative affective states. Important differences also arose: empathy for pain uniquely activated bilateral mid-insula and more extensive MCC. Regarding stimuli, painful faces and acute pain inflictions both evoked the core empathy regions, although acute pain inflictions activated additional regions including medial frontal and parietal cortex. Regarding paradigms, both perceptual/affective and cognitive/evaluative paradigms recruited similar neural circuitry, although cognitive/evaluative paradigms activated more left MCC regions while perceptual/affective paradigms activated more right AI. Taken together, our findings reveal that empathy for pain and empathy for non-pain negative affective states share considerable neural correlates, particularly in core empathy regions AI and MCC. Beyond these regions, important differences emerged, limiting generalizability of findings across different affective/sensory states. Within pain-empathy studies, the core regions were recruited robustly irrespective of stimuli or instructions, allowing one to tailor designs according to specific needs to some extent, while ensuring activation of core regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge Timmers
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Anna L Park
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Molly D Fischer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Corey A Kronman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Lauren C Heathcote
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - J Maya Hernandez
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Laura E Simons
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
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Ramos-Oliveira D, Santos de Oliveira F. Contributions of Social Neuroscience in the Study of Schadenfreude, Social Cognition and Emotion Intergroup: Integrative Review. UNIVERSITAS PSYCHOLOGICA 2018. [DOI: 10.11144/javeriana.upsy17-4.cnse] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The present article is a bibliographic research on the integrative literature review mode, on social neuroscience, social cognition and Schadenfreude in intergroup relations. The objective was to identify an understanding of how social neuroscience could contribute and offer new insights into the Social Cognition (eg: stereotypes, prejudice, social comparison), the Schadenfreude and neural process in social interactions. From the criteria of location and selection, 28 articles published in the databases PubMed, Web of Science and SCIELO between 2006 and 2015 were retrieved, using keywords: Schadenfreude and Social Cognition, Schadenfreude and Brain, Schadenfreude and Neural, Schadenfreude and Neuro, Schadenfreude and Intergroup relation. Generally, such articles are descriptive and qualitative, and they developed mostly with the samples that showed no pathology or disease in samples. A link it showed between the Schadenfreude and the neural interface, as well as social cognition and neuronal relationship with the aim of understanding how interact in a social context. It is perceived from the approach on the subject a better understanding of social behavior in real life through neurocognitive mechanisms offering evidence in the relationship between Schadenfreude, social neuroscience and social cognition.
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Wearne T, Osborne-Crowley K, Rosenberg H, Dethier M, McDonald S. Emotion recognition depends on subjective emotional experience and not on facial expressivity: evidence from traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj 2018; 33:1-11. [PMID: 30296178 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2018.1531300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recognizing how others feel is paramount to social situations and commonly disrupted following traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study tested whether problems identifying emotion in others following TBI is related to problems expressing or feeling emotion in oneself, as theoretical models place emotion perception in the context of accurate encoding and/or shared emotional experiences. METHODS Individuals with TBI (n = 27; 20 males) and controls (n = 28; 16 males) were tested on an emotion recognition task, and asked to adopt facial expressions and relay emotional memories according to the presentation of stimuli (word and photos). After each trial, participants were asked to self-report their feelings of happiness, anger and sadness. Judges that were blind to the presentation of stimuli assessed emotional facial expressivity. RESULTS Emotional experience was a unique predictor of affect recognition across all emotions while facial expressivity did not contribute to any of the regression models. Furthermore, difficulties in recognizing emotion for individuals with TBI were no longer evident after cognitive ability and experience of emotion were entered into the analyses. CONCLUSIONS Emotion perceptual difficulties following TBI may stem from an inability to experience affective states and may tie in with alexythymia in clinical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis Wearne
- a School of Psychology , University of New South Wales , Sydney , NSW , Australia
| | | | - Hannah Rosenberg
- a School of Psychology , University of New South Wales , Sydney , NSW , Australia
| | - Marie Dethier
- b Department of Psychology: Cognition and Behavior , University of Liege , Liege , Belgium
| | - Skye McDonald
- a School of Psychology , University of New South Wales , Sydney , NSW , Australia
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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: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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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36
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Genschow O, Klomfar S, d’Haene I, Brass M. Mimicking and anticipating others' actions is linked to Social Information Processing. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193743. [PMID: 29590127 PMCID: PMC5873994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely known that individuals frequently imitate each other in social situations and that such mimicry fulfills an important social role in the sense that it functions as a social glue. With reference to the anticipated action effect, it has recently been demonstrated that individuals do not only imitate others, but also engage in anticipated action before the observed person starts engaging in that action. Interestingly, both phenomena (i.e., mimicry and anticipated action) rely on tracking others’ social behavior. Therefore, in the present research we investigated whether mimicry and anticipated action are related to social abilities as indicated by measures of social intelligence. The results demonstrate for the first time that mimicry as well as anticipated action is correlated with an important aspect of social intelligence—namely the ability to process social information. Theoretical implications and limitations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Genschow
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Sophie Klomfar
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ine d’Haene
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marcel Brass
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Cracco E, Brass M. The role of sensorimotor processes in social group contagion. Cogn Psychol 2018; 103:23-41. [PMID: 29501776 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 01/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Although it is well known that action observation triggers an imitative response, not much is known about how these responses develop as a function of group size. Research on social contagion suggests that imitative tendencies initially increase but then stabilize as groups become larger. However, these findings have mainly been explained in terms of interpretative processes. Across seven experiments (N = 322), the current study investigated the contribution of sensorimotor processes to social group contagion by looking at the relation between group size and automatic imitation in a task that involved minimal interpretation. The results of Experiments 1-2 revealed that automatic imitation increased with group size according to an asymptotic curve on congruent trials but a linear curve on incongruent trials. The results of Experiments 3-7 showed that the asymptote on congruent trials disappeared when no control was needed, namely in the absence of incongruent trials. This suggests that the asymptote in the relation between group size and automatic imitation can be explained in terms of strategic control mechanisms that aim to prevent unintended imitative responses. The findings of the current study are in close correspondence with previous research in the social domain and as such support the hypothesis that sensorimotor processes contribute to the relation between group size and social contagion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiel Cracco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
| | - Marcel Brass
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
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Pokorny JJ, Hatt NV, Rogers SJ, Rivera SM. What Are You Doing With That Object? Comparing the Neural Responses of Action Understanding in Adolescents With and Without Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:809-823. [PMID: 29168088 PMCID: PMC5826790 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3338-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Understanding another's actions, including what they are doing and why they are doing it, can be difficult for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This understanding is supported by the action observation (AON) and mentalizing (MZN) networks, as well as the superior temporal sulcus. We examined these areas in children with ASD and typically developing controls by having participants view eating and placing actions performed in conventional and unconventional ways while functional magnetic resonance images were collected. We found an effect of action-type, but not conventionality, in both groups, and a between groups difference only when viewing conventional eating actions. Findings suggest there are not global AON/MZN deficits in ASD, and observing unconventional actions may not spontaneously activate the MZN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J Pokorny
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95618, USA
| | - Naomi V Hatt
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95618, USA
| | - Sally J Rogers
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Susan M Rivera
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95618, USA.
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Isomura T, Nakano T. Automatic facial mimicry in response to dynamic emotional stimuli in five-month-old infants. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1948. [PMID: 27974522 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human adults automatically mimic others' emotional expressions, which is believed to contribute to sharing emotions with others. Although this behaviour appears fundamental to social reciprocity, little is known about its developmental process. Therefore, we examined whether infants show automatic facial mimicry in response to others' emotional expressions. Facial electromyographic activity over the corrugator supercilii (brow) and zygomaticus major (cheek) of four- to five-month-old infants was measured while they viewed dynamic clips presenting audiovisual, visual and auditory emotions. The audiovisual bimodal emotion stimuli were a display of a laughing/crying facial expression with an emotionally congruent vocalization, whereas the visual/auditory unimodal emotion stimuli displayed those emotional faces/vocalizations paired with a neutral vocalization/face, respectively. Increased activation of the corrugator supercilii muscle in response to audiovisual cries and the zygomaticus major in response to audiovisual laughter were observed between 500 and 1000 ms after stimulus onset, which clearly suggests rapid facial mimicry. By contrast, both visual and auditory unimodal emotion stimuli did not activate the infants' corresponding muscles. These results revealed that automatic facial mimicry is present as early as five months of age, when multimodal emotional information is present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Isomura
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tamami Nakano
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Department of Brain Physiology, Osaka University School of Medicine, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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40
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Rayson H, Bonaiuto JJ, Ferrari PF, Murray L. Early maternal mirroring predicts infant motor system activation during facial expression observation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11738. [PMID: 28916786 PMCID: PMC5601467 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12097-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Processing facial expressions is an essential component of social interaction, especially for preverbal infants. In human adults and monkeys, this process involves the motor system, with a neural matching mechanism believed to couple self- and other-generated facial gestures. Here, we used electroencephalography to demonstrate recruitment of the human motor system during observation and execution of facial expressions in nine-month-old infants, implicating this system in facial expression processing from a very young age. Notably, examination of early video-recorded mother-infant interactions supported the common, but as yet untested, hypothesis that maternal mirroring of infant facial gestures is central to the development of a neural matching mechanism for these gestures. Specifically, the extent to which mothers mirrored infant facial expressions at two months postpartum predicted infant motor system activity during observation of the same expressions at nine months. This suggests that maternal mirroring strengthens mappings between visual and motor representations of facial gestures, which increases infant neural sensitivity to particularly relevant cues in the early social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Rayson
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom.
| | - James John Bonaiuto
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pier Francesco Ferrari
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS/Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
| | - Lynne Murray
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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41
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Chiesa PA, Liuzza MT, Macaluso E, Aglioti SM. Brain activity induced by implicit processing of others' pain and pleasure. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:5562-5576. [PMID: 28833833 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies indicate that both explicit and implicit processing of affectively charged stimuli may be reflected in specific behavioural markers and physiological signatures. Here, we investigated whether the pleasantness ratings of a neutral target were affected by the subliminal perception of a painful (a slap) or pleasant (a caress) touch delivered to others. In particular, we combined the continuous flash suppression technique with the affective misattribution procedure to explore subliminal processing of observed pain and pleasure in others. Results show that participants rated the neutral target as more or less likeable depending on whether they were subliminally primed with the pleasant or painful facial expression, respectively. The fMRI activity associated with painful and pleasant subliminal priming was mainly present in the anterior prefrontal cortex and the primary sensorimotor cortex, respectively. Thus, our study provides behavioural and neuro-physiological evidence that: (i) emotional reactivity toward positive or negative states of others can occur at an entirely subliminal level; (ii) specific neural substrates underpin reactivity to positive- and negative-valence of social emotions. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5562-5576, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Andrea Chiesa
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.,IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Tullio Liuzza
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.,IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, "Magna Graecia" University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Emiliano Macaluso
- IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (UCBL1, INSERM 1028, CNRS 5292), Lyon, France
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.,IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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Buunk AM, Spikman JM, Veenstra WS, van Laar PJ, Metzemaekers JD, van Dijk JMC, Meiners LC, Groen RJ. Social cognition impairments after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage: Associations with deficits in interpersonal behaviour, apathy, and impaired self-awareness. Neuropsychologia 2017; 103:131-139. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Gianelli C, Marzocchi M, Borghi AM. Grasping the Agent's Perspective: A Kinematics Investigation of Linguistic Perspective in Italian and German. Front Psychol 2017; 8:42. [PMID: 28223947 PMCID: PMC5293804 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Every day, we primarily experience actions as agents, by having a concrete perspective on our actions, their means and goals. This peculiar perspective is what allows us to successfully plan and execute our actions in a dense social environment. Nevertheless, in this environment actions are also perceived from an observer's perspective. Adopting such a perspective helps us to understand and respond to other's people actions and their outcomes. Importantly, similar experiences of being agent and observer occur also when actions are not physically acted/perceived but are merely linguistically shared. In this paper we present two exploratory studies, one in Italian and one in German, in which we applied a direct comparison of three singular perspectives in combination with different verb categories. First, second and third person pronouns were combined with action and interaction verbs, i.e., verbs implying an interaction with an object - e.g., grasp - or an interaction with an object and another person - e.g., give. By means of kinematics recording, we analyzed participants' reaching-grasping responses to a mouse while they were presented with the different combinations of linguistic stimuli (pronouns and verb type). Results of Experiment 1 on reaching show that, when they are preceded by YOU, interaction verbs reached the velocity peak earlier than action verbs, since a further motor act will follow. Thus pronouns influence perspective taking and while comprehending language we are sensitive to the motor chain organization of verbs. The absence of the same effects in Experiment 2 is likely due to the fact that, being the pronoun in German mandatory, it is perceived as less salient than in Italian. Overall our result supports the idea that language is grounded in the motor system in a flexible way, and highlights the need for cross-linguistic studies in the field of embodied language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Gianelli
- Division of Cognitive Sciences, University of PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
| | - Michele Marzocchi
- Division of Cognitive Sciences, University of PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
| | - Anna M. Borghi
- Department of Psychology, University of BolognaBologna, Italy
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research CouncilRome, Italy
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Abstract
Over the past two decades, the question of how our brain makes us sensitive to the state of conspecifics and how that affects our behaviour has undergone a profound change. Twenty years ago what would now be called social neuroscience was focused on the visual processing of facial expressions and body movements in temporal lobe structures of primates (Puce and Perrett 2003). With the discovery of mirror neurons, this changed rapidly towards the modern field of social neuroscience, in which high-level vision is but one of many focuses of interest. In this essay, we will argue that for the further progress of the field, the integration of animal neuroscience and human neuroscience is paramount. We will do so, by focusing on the field of embodied social cognition. We will first show how the combination of animal and human neuroscience was critical in how the discovery of mirror neurons placed the motor system on the map of social cognition. We will then argue why an integrated cross-species approach will be pivotal to our understanding of the neural basis of emotional empathy and its link to prosocial behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Keysers
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, A Research Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, A Research Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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45
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Yeshurun Y, Swanson S, Simony E, Chen J, Lazaridi C, Honey CJ, Hasson U. Same Story, Different Story. Psychol Sci 2017; 28:307-319. [PMID: 28099068 DOI: 10.1177/0956797616682029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in people's beliefs can substantially impact their interpretation of a series of events. In this functional MRI study, we manipulated subjects' beliefs, leading two groups of subjects to interpret the same narrative in different ways. We found that responses in higher-order brain areas-including the default-mode network, language areas, and subsets of the mirror neuron system-tended to be similar among people who shared the same interpretation, but different from those of people with an opposing interpretation. Furthermore, the difference in neural responses between the two groups at each moment was correlated with the magnitude of the difference in the interpretation of the narrative. This study demonstrates that brain responses to the same event tend to cluster together among people who share the same views.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Yeshurun
- 1 Department of Psychology, Princeton University.,2 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University
| | | | - Erez Simony
- 1 Department of Psychology, Princeton University.,2 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University
| | - Janice Chen
- 1 Department of Psychology, Princeton University.,2 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University
| | - Christina Lazaridi
- 4 Creative Writing Program, Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University
| | | | - Uri Hasson
- 1 Department of Psychology, Princeton University.,2 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University
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Buccino G, Colagè I, Gobbi N, Bonaccorso G. Grounding meaning in experience: A broad perspective on embodied language. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 69:69-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 05/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Campos C, Santos S, Gagen E, Machado S, Rocha S, Kurtz MM, Rocha NB. Neuroplastic Changes Following Social Cognition Training in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 2016; 26:310-328. [PMID: 27541742 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-016-9326-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Social cognitive impairment is a key feature of schizophrenia and social cognition training (SCT) is a promising tool to address these deficits. Neurobiological dysfunction in schizophrenia has been widely researched, but neuronal changes induced by SCT have been scarcely explored. This review aims to assess the neuroplastic effects of SCT in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for clinical trials testing the effects of SCT in functional and structural brain measurements of adult patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. A total of 11 studies were included: five used fMRI, two used EEG and ERP, one used ERP only, two used MEG and one study used MRI. Data extracting and processing regarding sociodemographic and clinical variables, intervention characteristics, neuroimaging procedures, neuroplastic findings, effect sizes and study quality criteria was completed by two raters. Results indicate a wide range of structural and functional changes in numerous regions and circuits of the social brain, including early perceptual areas, the limbic system and prefrontal regions. Despite the small number of trials currently available, evidence suggests that SCT is associated with neuroplastic changes in the social brain and concomitant improvements in social cognitive performance. There is a lack of extensive knowledge about the neural mechanisms that underlie social cognitive enhancement after treatment, but the reported findings may shed light on the neural substrates of social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and how improved treatment procedures can be developed and applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Campos
- Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Health School, Rua Valente Perfeito, 332, 4400-330, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. .,Panic and Respiration Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71, Campus da Praia Vermelha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Susana Santos
- Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Health School, Rua Valente Perfeito, 332, 4400-330, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Emily Gagen
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3720, USA
| | - Sérgio Machado
- Panic and Respiration Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71, Campus da Praia Vermelha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Physical Activity Neuroscience, Physical Activity Postgraduate Program, Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO), Rua Marechal Deodoro, 263 - Centro, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Susana Rocha
- School of Accounting and Administration of Porto, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Jaime Lopes Amorim, s/n, 4465-004 S, Mamede de Infesta, Portugal
| | - Matthew M Kurtz
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Wesleyan University, 45 Wyllys Ave, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George St., Suite 901, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Nuno Barbosa Rocha
- Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Health School, Rua Valente Perfeito, 332, 4400-330, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
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Empathy in depression: Egocentric and altercentric biases and the role of alexithymia. J Affect Disord 2016; 199:23-9. [PMID: 27060429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 02/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with empathy deficits. The exact nature of these deficits and their relation to concurrent alexithymia remain unknown. Here we tested under which conditions MDD patients with high and low alexithymia show deficient empathy, particularly investigating empathic abilities when inhibition of self-related emotional states is needed and when it is not. METHODS Healthy controls (low: n=28, high: n=14) and currently depressed MDD patients (low: n=11, high: n=18) with low or high alexithymia performed an emotional egocentricity paradigm based on tactile stimulation. This task measures empathic judgements, when emotional states of self and other differ and inhibition of self-related emotional states is needed, and when they do not and thus empathic judgments can be based on simple projection mechanisms. RESULTS Only alexithymia but not depression decreased empathy, in situations when simple projection sufficed. However, when inhibition of self-related emotional states was needed, MDD patients showed an egocentric bias during empathic judgments and an altercentric bias during self emotion judgments, the latter suggesting heightened emotional contagion, both independent of alexithymia. Across the entire sample, alexithymia decreased the size of the egocentric bias. LIMITATIONS This study was based on a relatively sample size. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that MDD patients show intact empathic judgments, when simple projection is required and no concurrent alexithymia is present. In situations when incongruent emotional states of self and other have to be resolved, MDD patients are prone to egocentric and altercentric biases.
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Christensen JF, Pollick FE, Lambrechts A, Gomila A. Affective responses to dance. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 168:91-105. [PMID: 27235953 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2014] [Revised: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of the present work was the characterization of mechanisms by which affective experiences are elicited in observers when watching dance movements. A total of 203 dance stimuli from a normed stimuli library were used in a series of independent experiments. The following measures were obtained: (i) subjective measures of 97 dance-naïve participants' affective responses (Likert scale ratings, interviews); and (ii) objective measures of the physical parameters of the stimuli (motion energy, luminance), and of the movements represented in the stimuli (roundedness, impressiveness). Results showed that (i) participants' ratings of felt and perceived affect differed, (ii) felt and perceived valence but not arousal ratings correlated with physical parameters of the stimuli (motion energy and luminance), (iii) roundedness in posture shape was related to the experience of more positive emotion than edgy shapes (1 of 3 assessed rounded shapes showed a clear effect on positiveness ratings while a second reached trend level significance), (iv) more impressive movements resulted in more positive affective responses, (v) dance triggered affective experiences through the imagery and autobiographical memories it elicited in some people, and (vi) the physical parameters of the video stimuli correlated only weakly and negatively with the aesthetics ratings of beauty, liking and interest. The novelty of the present approach was twofold; (i) the assessment of multiple affect-inducing mechanisms, and (ii) the use of one single normed stimulus set. The results from this approach lend support to both previous and present findings. Results are discussed with regards to current literature in the field of empirical aesthetics and affective neuroscience.
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50
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Pistoia F, Cornia R, Conson M, Gosseries O, Carolei A, Sacco S, Quattrocchi CC, Mallio CA, Iani C, Mambro DD, Sarà M. Disembodied Mind: Cortical Changes Following Brainstem Injury in Patients with Locked-in Syndrome. Open Neuroimag J 2016; 10:32-40. [PMID: 27347263 PMCID: PMC4894864 DOI: 10.2174/1874440001610010032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Locked-in syndrome (LIS) following ventral brainstem damage is the most severe form of motor disability. Patients are completely entrapped in an unresponsive body despite consciousness is preserved. Although the main feature of LIS is this extreme motor impairment, minor non-motor dysfunctions such as motor imagery defects and impaired emotional recognition have been reported suggesting an alteration of embodied cognition, defined as the effects that the body and its performances may have on cognitive domains. We investigated the presence of structural cortical changes in LIS, which may account for the reported cognitive dysfunctions. For this aim, magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired in 11 patients with LIS (6 males and 5 females; mean age: 52.3±5.2SD years; mean time interval from injury to evaluation: 9±1.2SD months) and 44 healthy control subjects matching patients for age, sex and education. Freesurfer software was used to process data and to estimate cortical volumes in LIS patients as compared to healthy subjects. Results showed a selective cortical volume loss in patients involving the superior frontal gyrus, the pars opercularis and the insular cortex in the left hemisphere, and the superior and medium frontal gyrus, the pars opercularis, the insular cortex, and the superior parietal lobule in the right hemisphere. As these structures are typically associated with the mirror neuron system, which represents the neural substrate for embodied simulation processes, our results provide neuroanatomical support for potential disembodiment in LIS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pistoia
- Neurological Institute, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Riccardo Cornia
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neurosciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Conson
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Carolei
- Neurological Institute, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Simona Sacco
- Neurological Institute, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Carlo C Quattrocchi
- Departmental Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Diagnostic Imaging, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo A Mallio
- Departmental Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Diagnostic Imaging, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Iani
- Department of Communication and Economy, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Debora Di Mambro
- Post-Coma Rehabilitation Care Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Cassino, Italy
| | - Marco Sarà
- Post-Coma Rehabilitation Care Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Cassino, Italy
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