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Porcelli P, Giromini L, Zennaro A. Rorschach Human Movement and Psychotherapy: Relationship with the Therapist's Emotional Responses. J Pers Assess 2024; 106:436-447. [PMID: 38251848 DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2024.2303443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The emotional responses of psychotherapists to their patients, known as countertransference, can yield valuable insights into the patient's psychological functioning. Albeit from a different perspective, the Rorschach test also provides information about the patient's psychological processes. In particular, the Rorschach human movement response (M) has been shown to be a useful measure of higher-level psychological functioning. In an attempt to bridge these two largely different perspectives, the aim of this study was to explore the association between M responses in the Rorschach protocols of psychotherapy patients and emotional responses exhibited by their therapists. To this end, a convenience sample of 149 outpatients were administered the Rorschach according to the Comprehensive System, and their therapists completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire. Through a series of regression models, controlling for response style, response complexity, and degree of psychopathology, M demonstrated a significant association with the therapists' emotional responses. A lower number of M responses was associated with the therapists' feelings of disengagement, and a higher number of M responses was associated with the therapists' feelings of being more involved with the patient. Taken together, these results suggest a potential relationship between the number of M responses the respondent gives in the Rorschach and the subsequent development of the therapeutic alliance between the respondent and their therapist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Porcelli
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy
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2
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Safari N, Fang H, Veerareddy A, Xu P, Krueger F. The anatomical structure of sex differences in trust propensity: A voxel-based morphometry study. Cortex 2024; 176:260-273. [PMID: 38677959 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Trust is a key component of human relationships. Sex differences in trust behavior have been elucidated by parental investment theory and social role theory, attributing men's higher trust propensity to their increased engagement in physically and socially risky activities aimed at securing additional resources. Although sex differences in trust behavior exist and the neuropsychological signatures of trust are known, the underlying anatomical structure of sex differences is still unexplored. Our study aimed to investigate the anatomical structure of sex differences in trust behavior toward strangers (i.e., trust propensity, TP) by employing voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in a sample of healthy young adults. We collected behavioral data for TP as measured with participants in the role of trustors completing the one-shot trust game (TG) with anonymous partners as trustees. We conducted primary region of interest (ROI) and exploratory whole-brain (WB) VBM analyses of high-resolution structural images to test for the association between TP and regional gray matter volume (GMV) associated with sex differences. Confirming previous studies, our behavioral results demonstrated that men trusted more than women during the one-shot TG. Our WB analysis showed a greater GMV related to TP in men than women in the precuneus (PreC), whereas our ROI analysis in regions of the default-mode network (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex [dmPFC], PreC, superior temporal gyrus) to simulate the partner's trustworthiness, central-executive network (ventrolateral PFC) to implement a calculus-based trust strategy, and action-perception network (precentral gyrus) to performance cost-benefit calculations, as proposed by a neuropsychoeconomic model of trust. Our findings advance the neuropsychological understanding of sex differences in TP, which has implications for interpersonal partnerships, financial transactions, and societal engagements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nooshin Safari
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Huihua Fang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, China; Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Pengfei Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Neuroimaging, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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3
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Rubin M, Arnon H, Huppert JD, Perry A. Considering the Role of Human Empathy in AI-Driven Therapy. JMIR Ment Health 2024; 11:e56529. [PMID: 38861302 PMCID: PMC11200042 DOI: 10.2196/56529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) language models have elevated the vision of using conversational AI support for mental health, with a growing body of literature indicating varying degrees of efficacy. In this paper, we ask when, in therapy, it will be easier to replace humans and, conversely, in what instances, human connection will still be more valued. We suggest that empathy lies at the heart of the answer to this question. First, we define different aspects of empathy and outline the potential empathic capabilities of humans versus AI. Next, we consider what determines when these aspects are needed most in therapy, both from the perspective of therapeutic methodology and from the perspective of patient objectives. Ultimately, our goal is to prompt further investigation and dialogue, urging both practitioners and scholars engaged in AI-mediated therapy to keep these questions and considerations in mind when investigating AI implementation in mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matan Rubin
- Psychology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hadar Arnon
- Psychology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Jonathan D Huppert
- Psychology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Anat Perry
- Psychology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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4
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Salagnon M, d'Errico F, Rigaud S, Mellet E. Assigning a social status from face adornments: an fMRI study. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1103-1120. [PMID: 38546871 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02786-4] [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: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
For at least 150,000 years, the human body has been culturally modified by the wearing of personal ornaments and probably by painting with red pigment. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the brain networks involved in attributing social status from face decorations. Results showed the fusiform gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, and salience network were involved in social encoding, categorization, and evaluation. The hippocampus and parahippocampus were activated due to the memory and associative skills required for the task, while the inferior frontal gyrus likely interpreted face ornaments as symbols. Resting-state functional connectivity analysis clarified the interaction between these regions. The study highlights the importance of these neural interactions in the symbolic interpretation of social markers on the human face, which were likely active in early Homo species and intensified with Homo sapiens populations as more complex technologies were developed to culturalize the human face.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Salagnon
- CNRS, CEA, IMN, UMR 5293, Université Bordeaux, Bordeaux, GIN, France
- Univ. Bordeaux, PACEA UMR 5199, CNRS, Pessac, France
| | - F d'Errico
- Univ. Bordeaux, PACEA UMR 5199, CNRS, Pessac, France
- SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - S Rigaud
- Univ. Bordeaux, PACEA UMR 5199, CNRS, Pessac, France
| | - E Mellet
- CNRS, CEA, IMN, UMR 5293, Université Bordeaux, Bordeaux, GIN, France.
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Kade SA, du Toit SA, Danielson CT, Schweizer S, Morrison AS, Ong DC, Prasad A, Holder LJ, Han J, Torok M, Wong QJJ. Aberrant cognitive empathy in individuals with elevated social anxiety and regulation with emotional working memory training. Cogn Emot 2024; 38:605-623. [PMID: 38349272 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2314981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Social anxiety may disrupt the empathic process, and well-regulated empathy is critical for navigating the social world. Two studies aimed to further understand empathy in the context of social anxiety. Study 1 compared individuals with elevated or normative social anxiety on a measure assessing cognitive and affective empathy for positive and negative emotions conveyed by other people ("targets"), completed under social threat. Relative to individuals with normative social anxiety, individuals with elevated social anxiety had greater cognitive empathy and no differences in affective empathy, regardless of emotion type. As greater cognitive empathy can be maladaptive, Study 2 tested whether this could be down-regulated. Individuals with elevated social anxiety underwent emotional working memory training (eWMT) for negative emotional information, or control training (CT). Effects on an empathy measure completed under social threat were assessed. Cognitive empathy for negative emotions decreased following eWMT but not CT, and this was only evident for those with higher pre-training working memory capacity. Cognitive empathy for positive emotions and affective empathy were not affected. Overall, social anxiety is associated with aberrant elevated cognitive empathy for negative and positive emotions, and the deviation in cognitive empathy for negative emotions can be regulated with eWMT for certain individuals.Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12618001196235..
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Affiliation(s)
- Saif A Kade
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Simone A du Toit
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Susanne Schweizer
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amanda S Morrison
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Hayward, CA, USA
| | - Desmond C Ong
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ashni Prasad
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Lauren J Holder
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jin Han
- Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michelle Torok
- Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Quincy J J Wong
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
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Mu J, Wu L, Wang C, Dun W, Hong Z, Feng X, Zhang M, Liu J. Individual differences of white matter characteristic along the anterior insula-based fiber tract circuit for pain empathy in healthy women and women with primary dysmenorrhea. Neuroimage 2024; 293:120624. [PMID: 38657745 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain empathy, defined as the ability of one person to understand another person's pain, shows large individual variations. The anterior insula is the core region of the pain empathy network. However, the relationship between white matter (WM) properties of the fiber tracts connecting the anterior insula with other cortical regions and an individual's ability to modulate pain empathy remains largely unclear. In this study, we outline an automatic seed-based fiber streamline (sFS) analysis method and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to predict the levels of pain empathy in healthy women and women with primary dysmenorrhoea (PDM). Using the sFS method, the anterior insula-based fiber tract network was divided into five fiber cluster groups. In healthy women, interindividual differences in pain empathy were predicted only by the WM properties of the five fiber cluster groups, suggesting that interindividual differences in pain empathy may rely on the connectivity of the anterior insula-based fiber tract network. In women with PDM, pain empathy could be predicted by a single cluster group. The mean WM properties along the anterior insular-rostroventral area of the inferior parietal lobule further mediated the effect of pain on empathy in patients with PDM. Our results suggest that chronic periodic pain may lead to maladaptive plastic changes, which could further impair empathy by making women with PDM feel more pain when they see other people experiencing pain. Our study also addresses an important gap in the analysis of the microstructural characteristics of seed-based fiber tract network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Mu
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Leiming Wu
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Chenxi Wang
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Wanghuan Dun
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Zilong Hong
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Xinyue Feng
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China.
| | - Jixin Liu
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China; Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710126, PR China.
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Rabl L, Maerz J, Viviani R, Labek K. The dark side of personality functioning: associations between antisocial cognitions, personality functioning (AMPD), empathy and mentalisation. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1377177. [PMID: 38863611 PMCID: PMC11165144 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1377177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction With the introduction of the new psychiatric diagnostic manuals, personality functioning has gained new prominence. Several studies have reported consistent findings that individual showing high levels of antisocial features are associated with alterations in interpersonal functioning domains such as empathy and mentalisation. The focus of the current study (N = 198) is to examine antisocial cognitions, as measured by the Scrambled Sentences Task (SST), and to what extent this approach can help to better understand the relationship between antisocial traits and personality functioning/empathy. Method We implemented a hypothesis-driven approach using logistic regression and a data-driven approach using machine learning to examine distinct but related measures of personality functioning as predictors of antisocial cognitions. Results Antisocial cognitions were associated with low interpersonal functioning as expected, but only when not adjusting for antisocial traits, which accounted for almost all the association. The data-driven analysis revealed that individual items assessing empathic concern in personality functioning scales (as opposed to the whole scores) explained low antisocial cognitions even when adjusting for antisocial traits. Discussion Antisocial cognitions appear to be associated to two distinct traits, the antisocial and a specific type of personality functioning. This finding is discussed in terms of the possible distinction between two motivational forces: to harm others/prioritize one's advantage, and to help suffering others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luna Rabl
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jeff Maerz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Roberto Viviani
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Karin Labek
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Ben Adiva Y, Genzer S, Perry A. Beyond physical sensations: investigating empathy and prosocial behavior in vicarious pain responders. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae039. [PMID: 38910333 PMCID: PMC11220461 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Empathy, the capacity to share others' emotional experiences, has been proposed as a key motivation for altruistic behavior in both humans and animals. Sharing another's emotional experience may generate a self-embodied simulation of their emotional state, fostering understanding and promoting prosocial behavior. Vicarious pain responders report sensing physical pain when observing others in pain. Whether this ability extends to emotional experiences remains unexplored. Using both questionnaires and ecologically valid behavioral tasks, we explored whether vicarious pain responders differ from nonresponders in empathic abilities and prosocial behavior. Participants watched video clips of people describing a negative emotional life event. We operationalized several empathic abilities and responses (empathic accuracy, affective synchrony, emotional reaction, and empathic motivation) based on participants' and targets' responses during and after watching the videos. Participants were also engaged in a donation task measuring tendency for prosocial behavior. Findings reveal that compared to nonresponders, vicarious pain responders exhibit enhanced empathic accuracy, intensified emotional reactions to others' emotional pain, and a greater motivation to communicate with the target. This study marks the first behavioral evidence showcasing vicarious pain responders' empathic abilities, reactions, and motivation in response to nonphysical pain of others, expanding our knowledge of this phenomenon and its association with broader empathic abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoad Ben Adiva
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190501, Israel
| | - Shir Genzer
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190501, Israel
| | - Anat Perry
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190501, Israel
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Fang S, Luo Z, Wei Z, Qin Y, Zheng J, Zhang H, Jin J, Li J, Miao C, Yang S, Li Y, Liang Z, Yu XD, Zhang XM, Xiong W, Zhu H, Gan WB, Huang L, Li B. Sexually dimorphic control of affective state processing and empathic behaviors. Neuron 2024; 112:1498-1517.e8. [PMID: 38430912 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Recognizing the affective states of social counterparts and responding appropriately fosters successful social interactions. However, little is known about how the affective states are expressed and perceived and how they influence social decisions. Here, we show that male and female mice emit distinct olfactory cues after experiencing distress. These cues activate distinct neural circuits in the piriform cortex (PiC) and evoke sexually dimorphic empathic behaviors in observers. Specifically, the PiC → PrL pathway is activated in female observers, inducing a social preference for the distressed counterpart. Conversely, the PiC → MeA pathway is activated in male observers, evoking excessive self-grooming behaviors. These pathways originate from non-overlapping PiC neuron populations with distinct gene expression signatures regulated by transcription factors and sex hormones. Our study unveils how internal states of social counterparts are processed through sexually dimorphic mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels and offers insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning sex differences in higher brain functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunchang Fang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhengyi Luo
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zicheng Wei
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yuxin Qin
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jieyan Zheng
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hongyang Zhang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jianhua Jin
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jiali Li
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Chenjian Miao
- Institute on Aging, Hefei, China and Brain Disorders, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Shana Yang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yonglin Li
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zirui Liang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiao-Dan Yu
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiao Min Zhang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- Institute on Aging, Hefei, China and Brain Disorders, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Hongying Zhu
- Institute on Aging, Hefei, China and Brain Disorders, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | | | - Lianyan Huang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Chronic Diseases (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510655, China.
| | - Boxing Li
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Advanced Medical Technology Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Chronic Diseases (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510655, China.
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Mizuguchi N, Kato K, Sugawara SK, Yoshimi T, Goto Y, Takasu K, Isaka T. Age and parous-experience dependent changes in emotional contagion for positive infant sounds. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1336126. [PMID: 38601818 PMCID: PMC11004475 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1336126] [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: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emotional contagion is achieved by inferring and emotionally resonating with other persons' feelings. It is unclear whether age-related changes in emotional contagion for infant sounds are modulated by the experience of childbirth or childcare. This study aims to evaluate changes in inference and emotional resonance for positive and negative infant sounds (laughter and crying) among women, based on age and parous experience. Methods A total of 241 women (60 young nulliparous, 60 young parous, 60 old nulliparous, and 61 old parous) completed a web-based questionnaire. After listening to three types of infant sounds (laughter, cooing, and crying), participants responded with their valence for hearing infant sounds and estimated infant valence on an 11-point Likert scale. Results The analysis for emotional resonance revealed that the correlation coefficient between self and estimated infant valences was greater in young parous and old nulliparous women than in young nulliparous women, in laughter and cooing sounds. However, correlation coefficients for crying did not differ among any of the four groups. Conclusion The degree of emotional resonance for infant valence increased depending on age and parous-experience for positive infant sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuaki Mizuguchi
- Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
- Institute of Advanced Research for Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
- Assistive Robot Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kenji Kato
- Assistive Robot Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan
| | - Sho K. Sugawara
- Neural Prosthetics Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Yoshimi
- Assistive Robot Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yuta Goto
- Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Kaori Takasu
- Administrative Office, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Tadao Isaka
- Institute of Advanced Research for Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
- College of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
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11
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Mazza M, Donne IL, Vagnetti R, Attanasio M, Paola Greco M, Chiara Pino M, Valenti M. Normative values and diagnostic optimisation of three social cognition measures for autism and schizophrenia diagnosis in a healthy adolescent and adult sample. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:511-529. [PMID: 37129426 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231175613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Awareness of the importance of assessing social cognition skills under conditions showing atypical social behaviours has increased over the years. However, the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the measures and the availability of normative values for the clinical context are still limited. This study aims to revise, provide normative values, and evaluate the clinical validity of the Italian version of three social cognition measures: Advanced Theory of Mind (A-ToM) task, the Emotion Attribution Task (EAT), and the Social Situation Task (SST). Measures were administered to 580 adolescents and adult healthy controls (age range 14-50). We performed differential item functioning and Rasch analysis to revise each task, so normative data of the revised measures were calculated. Moreover, the revised measures were administered to 38 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 35 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD): ASD and SSD were matched by age, gender, and IQ with a control sample to evaluate clinical validity. ROC analysis showed that the SST is the best measure differentiating between healthy and clinical groups, compared to the A-ToM (AUCASD = 0.70; AUCSSD = 0.65) and EAT (AUCASD = 0.67; AUCSSD = 0.50), which showed poorer performance. For SSD diagnosis, two SST subscales (Violation and Gravity score) indicated the best accuracy (AUCs of 0.88 and 0.84, respectively); for the ASD diagnosis, we propose a combined score between the SST subscale and A-ToM (AUC = 0.86). The results suggest that the proposed measures can be used to support the diagnostic process and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Mazza
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Ilenia Le Donne
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Roberto Vagnetti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Margherita Attanasio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Maria Paola Greco
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Pino
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Marco Valenti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences (DISCAB), University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
- Abruzzo Region Health System, Reference Regional Centre for Autism, L'Aquila, Italy
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12
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Gamble RS, Henry JD, Decety J, Vanman EJ. The role of external factors in affect-sharing and their neural bases. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105540. [PMID: 38211739 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Affect-sharing, the ability to vicariously feel another person's emotions, is the primary component of empathy that is typically thought to rely on the observer's capacity to feel the emotions of others. However, external signals, such as the target's physical characteristics, have been demonstrated to influence affect-sharing in the neuroscientific literature that speaks to the underappreciated role of external factors in eliciting affect-sharing. We consider factors that influence affect-sharing, including physical cues, emotional cues, situational factors, and observer-target relationships, as well as the neural circuits involved in these processes. Our review reveals that, while neural network activation is primarily responsible for processing affect-sharing, external factors also co-activate a top-down cognitive processing network to modulate the conscious process of affect-sharing. From this knowledge, an integrative framework of external factor interactions with affect-sharing are explained in detail. Finally, we identify critical areas for future research in social and affective neuroscience, including research gaps and incorporation of ecologically valid paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger S Gamble
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Julie D Henry
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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13
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Manzotti A, Panisi C, Pivotto M, Vinciguerra F, Benedet M, Brazzoli F, Zanni S, Comassi A, Caputo S, Cerritelli F, Chiera M. An in-depth analysis of the polyvagal theory in light of current findings in neuroscience and clinical research. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22450. [PMID: 38388187 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The polyvagal theory has led to the understanding of the functions of the autonomic nervous system in biological development in humans, since the vagal system, a key structure within the polyvagal theory, plays a significant role in addressing challenges of the mother-child dyad. This article aims to summarize the neurobiological aspects of the polyvagal theory, highlighting some of its strengths and limitations through the lens of new evidence emerging in several research fields-including comparative anatomy, embryology, epigenetics, psychology, and neuroscience-in the 25 years since the theory's inception. Rereading and incorporating the polyvagal idea in light of modern scientific findings helps to interpret the role of the vagus nerve through the temporal dimension (beginning with intrauterine life) and spatial dimension (due to the numerous connections of the vagus with various structures and systems) in the achievement and maintenance of biopsychosocial well-being, from the uterus to adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Manzotti
- Division of Neonatology, "V. Buzzi" Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
- RAISE Lab, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
- Research Department, SOMA Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Panisi
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Micol Pivotto
- Research Department, SOMA Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Benedet
- Research Department, SOMA Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Zanni
- Research Department, SOMA Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Comassi
- Research Department, SOMA Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Caputo
- Research Department, SOMA Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerritelli
- RAISE Lab, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Marco Chiera
- RAISE Lab, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
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14
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Mei S, Weiß M, Hein G, Han S. EEG evidence for racial ingroup bias in collective empathy for pain. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae019. [PMID: 38300214 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research on racial ingroup bias in empathy for pain focused on neural responses to a single person's suffering. It is unclear whether empathy for simultaneously perceived multiple individuals' pain (denoted as collective empathy in this study) is also sensitive to perceived racial identities of empathy targets. We addressed this issue by recording electroencephalography from Chinese adults who responded to racial identities of 2 × 2 arrays of Asian or White faces in which 4 faces, 1 face, or no face showed painful expressions. Participants reported greater feelings of others' pain and their own unpleasantness when viewing 4 compared to 1 (or no) painful faces. Behavioral responses to racial identities of faces revealed decreased speeds of information acquisition when responding to the face arrays with 4 (vs. 1 or no) painful expressions of Asian (but not White) faces. Moreover, Asian compared to White face arrays with 4 (vs. 1 or no) painful expressions elicited a larger positive neural response at 160-190 ms (P2) at the frontal/central electrodes and enhanced alpha synchronizations at 288-1,000 ms at the central electrodes. Our findings provide evidence for racial ingroup biases in collective empathy for pain and unravel its relevant neural underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Mei
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 52 Heidian Street, Beijing 100080, China
| | - Martin Weiß
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Grit Hein
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 52 Heidian Street, Beijing 100080, China
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15
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Hodges SD, Kezer M, Hall JA, Vorauer JD. Exploring Actual and Presumed Links between Accurately Inferring Contents of Other People's Minds and Prosocial Outcomes. J Intell 2024; 12:13. [PMID: 38392169 PMCID: PMC10890342 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence12020013] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The term "empathic accuracy" has been applied to people's ability to infer the contents of other people's minds-that is, other people's varying feelings and/or thoughts over the course of a social interaction. However, despite the ease of intuitively linking this skill to competence in helping professions such as counseling, the "empathic" prefix in its name may have contributed to overestimating its association with prosocial traits and behaviors. Accuracy in reading others' thoughts and feelings, like many other skills, can be used toward prosocial-but also malevolent or morally neutral-ends. Prosocial intentions can direct attention towards other people's thoughts and feelings, which may, in turn, increase accuracy in inferring those thoughts and feelings, but attention to others' thoughts and feelings does not necessarily heighten prosocial intentions, let alone outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara D Hodges
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, 1451 Onyx Street, Eugene, OR 97403-1227, USA
| | - Murat Kezer
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, 1451 Onyx Street, Eugene, OR 97403-1227, USA
| | - Judith A Hall
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jacquie D Vorauer
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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16
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Lin T, Simon JC, Gutsell JN. The Association Between Emotional Expressions and Empathic Accuracy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3858053. [PMID: 38313281 PMCID: PMC10836092 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3858053/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Empathic accuracy, the ability to accurately represent and understand another's emotional state, is integral to socio-emotional functioning. It is also inherently an interpersonal process that requires active engagement of the emotional systems of both interaction partners. The emotional expressivity of the partner sharing their emotions restricts empathic accuracy and the perceiver's emotional expressivity might also affect empathic accuracy as they behaviorally simulate and thus share the emotions they see in the other's face. We explored a potential role of emotional expressivity in people's ability to understand another's emotions in a face-to-face dyadic interaction. Participants took turns sharing emotional experiences while their facial expressions were recorded. They then watched the recordings while continuously rating their own and their partner's affect at any given point during the recording. Empathic accuracy was indexed as the epoch by-epoch emotion change detection. We found that emotional expressivity of the listener, but not of the partner, was associated with increased empathic accuracy, even when controlling for partner's expressivity. Our findings highlight the active role the person empathizing takes in face-to-face emotional sharing.
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17
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Hsu CT, Sato W, Yoshikawa S. An investigation of the modulatory effects of empathic and autistic traits on emotional and facial motor responses during live social interactions. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0290765. [PMID: 38194416 PMCID: PMC10775989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
A close relationship between emotional contagion and spontaneous facial mimicry has been theoretically proposed and is supported by empirical data. Facial expressions are essential in terms of both emotional and motor synchrony. Previous studies have demonstrated that trait emotional empathy enhanced spontaneous facial mimicry, but the relationship between autistic traits and spontaneous mimicry remained controversial. Moreover, previous studies presented faces that were static or videotaped, which may lack the "liveliness" of real-life social interactions. We addressed this limitation by using an image relay system to present live performances and pre-recorded videos of smiling or frowning dynamic facial expressions to 94 healthy female participants. We assessed their subjective experiential valence and arousal ratings to infer the amplitude of emotional contagion. We measured the electromyographic activities of the zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii muscles to estimate spontaneous facial mimicry. Individual differences measures included trait emotional empathy (empathic concern) and the autism-spectrum quotient. We did not find that live performances enhanced the modulatory effect of trait differences on emotional contagion or spontaneous facial mimicry. However, we found that a high trait empathic concern was associated with stronger emotional contagion and corrugator mimicry. We found no two-way interaction between the autism spectrum quotient and emotional condition, suggesting that autistic traits did not modulate emotional contagion or spontaneous facial mimicry. Our findings imply that previous findings regarding the relationship between emotional empathy and emotional contagion/spontaneous facial mimicry using videos and photos could be generalized to real-life interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Ting Hsu
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Wataru Sato
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sakiko Yoshikawa
- Institute of Philosophy and Human Values, Kyoto University of the Arts, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
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18
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Kulakova E, Graumann L, Wingenfeld K. The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and Social Cognition in Borderline Personality Disorder. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:378-394. [PMID: 37539934 PMCID: PMC10845078 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230804085639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotional instability, impulsivity and unstable interpersonal relationships. Patients experience discomforting levels of distress, inducing symptoms like dissociation, aggression or withdrawal. Social situations are particularly challenging, and acute social stress can reduce patients' cognitive and social functioning. In patients with Major Depressive Disorder or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which show high comorbidity with BPD, the endocrine stress response is characterized by Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, which affects cognitive functioning. Compared to these clinical groups, research on HPA-axis function in BPD is relatively scarce, but evidence points towards a blunted cortisol reactivity to acute stress. Since BPD patients are particularly prone to social stress and experience high subjective difficulties in these situations, it seems plausible that HPA-axis dysregulation might contribute to decreased social cognition in BPD. The present review summarizes findings on the HPA-axis function in BPD and its association with social cognition following acute social stress. For this purpose, we review literature that employed a widely used social stressor (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) to study the effects of acute social stress on social cognition and the HPA-axis response. We contrast these findings with studies on social cognition that employed Cyberball, another widely used social stressor that lacks HPA-axis involvement. We conclude that research on social cognition in BPD reveals heterogeneous results with no clear relationship between social functioning and HPA-axis response. More research is needed to better understand the psychophysiological underpinnings of impaired social cognition in BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Kulakova
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Livia Graumann
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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19
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Sun F, Yang T, Liu N, Wan X. The Causal Role of Temporoparietal Junction in Mediating Self-Other Mergence during Mentalizing. J Neurosci 2023; 43:8442-8455. [PMID: 37848283 PMCID: PMC10711729 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1026-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mentalizing is a core faculty of human social behaviors that involves inferring the cognitive states of others. This process necessitates adopting an allocentric perspective and suppressing one's egocentric perspective, referred to as self-other distinction (SOD). Meanwhile, individuals may project their own cognitive states onto others in prosocial behaviors, a process known as self-other mergence (SOM). It remains unclear how the two opposing processes coexist during mentalizing. We here combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) techniques with intranasal oxytocin (OTint) as a probe to examine the SOM effect in healthy male human participants, during which they attributed the cognitive states of decision confidence to an anonymous partner. Our results showed that OTint facilitated SOM via the left temporoparietal junction (lTPJ), but did not affect neural representations of internal information about others' confidence in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, which might be dedicated to SOD, although the two brain regions, importantly, have been suggested to be involved in mentalizing. Further, the SOM effect induced by OTint was fully mediated by the lTPJ activities and became weakened when the lTPJ activities were suppressed by rTMS. These findings suggest that the lTPJ might play a vital role in mediating SOM during mentalizing.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Every human mind is unique. It is critical to distinguish the minds of others from the self. On the contrary, we often project the current mental states of the self onto others; that is to say, self-other mergence (SOM). The neural mechanism underlying SOM remains unclear. We here used intranasal oxytocin (OTint) as a probe to leverage SOM, which is typically suppressed during mentalizing. We revealed that OTint specifically modulated the left temporoparietal junction (lTPJ) neural activities to fully mediate the SOM effect, while suppressing the lTPJ neural activities by transcranial magnetic stimulations causally attenuated the SOM effect. Our results demonstrate that the lTPJ might mediate SOM during social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanru Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianshu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaohong Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
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20
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Cogoni C, Monachesi B, Mazza V, Grecucci A, Vaes J. Neural dynamics of vicarious physical pain processing reflect impaired empathy toward sexually objectified versus non-sexually objectified women. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14400. [PMID: 37578333 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Sexually objectified women are perceived as dehumanized. This may affect the behavioral and neural responses underlying the observer's empathic reactions for their physical pain, although this hypothesis still lacks empirical support. In the present study, we measured the electrophysiological activity of 30 participants (14 females and 16 males), in an empathy for physical pain paradigm in which pictures of sexualized and non-sexualized women were presented in painful and non-painful situations. The behavioral results revealed that sexualized women were evaluated as experiencing less pain than non-sexualized women. Neural evidence corroborated this finding showing that the perception of vicarious physical pain is lacking for sexualized women in both event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain oscillation domains. Specifically, the P2 component and the event-related synchronization/desynchronization (ERS/ERD) on the mu frequency band differed between painful and non-painful stimulation exclusively when women were not sexualized. Our results provide the first evidence that the neurophysiological responses to the vicarious experience of physical pain are dampened or even absent for sexualized women. These findings expand our understanding of the neurophysiological signatures of empathic processes and highlight the detrimental effect of a sexual-objectification bias in everyday contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlotta Cogoni
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Bianca Monachesi
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Veronica Mazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Jeroen Vaes
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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21
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Rizzo G, Martino D, Avanzino L, Avenanti A, Vicario CM. Social cognition in hyperkinetic movement disorders: a systematic review. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:331-354. [PMID: 37580305 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2248687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Numerous lines of research indicate that our social brain involves a network of cortical and subcortical brain regions that are responsible for sensing and controlling body movements. However, it remains unclear whether movement disorders have a systematic impact on social cognition. To address this question, we conducted a systematic review examining the influence of hyperkinetic movement disorders (including Huntington disease, Tourette syndrome, dystonia, and essential tremor) on social cognition. Following the PRISMA guidelines and registering the protocol in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022327459), we analyzed 50 published studies focusing on theory of mind (ToM), social perception, and empathy. The results from these studies provide evidence of impairments in ToM and social perception in all hyperkinetic movement disorders, particularly during the recognition of negative emotions. Additionally, individuals with Huntington's Disease and Tourette syndrome exhibit empathy disorders. These findings support the functional role of subcortical structures (such as the basal ganglia and cerebellum), which are primarily responsible for movement disorders, in deficits related to social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Rizzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Davide Martino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Laura Avanzino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Carmelo Mario Vicario
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
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22
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Dai J, Jorgensen NA, Duell N, Capella J, Maza MT, Kwon SJ, Prinstein MJ, Lindquist KA, Telzer EH. Neural tracking of social hierarchies in adolescents' real-world social networks. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad064. [PMID: 37978845 PMCID: PMC10656574 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad064] [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: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In the current study, we combined sociometric nominations and neuroimaging techniques to examine adolescents' neural tracking of peers from their real-world social network that varied in social preferences and popularity. Adolescent participants from an entire school district (N = 873) completed peer sociometric nominations of their grade at school, and a subset of participants (N = 117, Mage = 13.59 years) completed a neuroimaging task in which they viewed peer faces from their social networks. We revealed two neural processes by which adolescents track social preference: (1) the fusiform face area, an important region for early visual perception and social categorization, simultaneously represented both peers high in social preference and low in social preference; (2) the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which was differentially engaged in tracking peers high and low in social preference. No regions specifically tracked peers high in popularity and only the inferior parietal lobe, temporoparietal junction, midcingulate cortex and insula were involved in tracking unpopular peers. This is the first study to examine the neural circuits that support adolescents' perception of peer-based social networks. These findings identify the neural processes that allow youths to spontaneously keep track of peers' social value within their social network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junqiang Dai
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Nathan A Jorgensen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Natasha Duell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Jimmy Capella
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Maria T Maza
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Seh-Joo Kwon
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Mitchell J Prinstein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Kristen A Lindquist
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
| | - Eva H Telzer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Anat Perry
- Psychology Department, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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24
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Saxena A, Shovestul BJ, Dudek EM, Reda S, Venkataraman A, Lamberti JS, Dodell-Feder D. Training volitional control of the theory of mind network with real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Neuroimage 2023; 279:120334. [PMID: 37591479 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Is there a way improve our ability to understand the minds of others? Towards addressing this question, here, we conducted a single-arm, proof-of-concept study to evaluate whether real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-NF) from the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) leads to volitional control of the neural network subserving theory of mind (ToM; the process by which we attribute and reason about the mental states of others). As additional aims, we evaluated the strategies used to self-regulate the network and whether volitional control of the ToM network was moderated by participant characteristics and associated with improved performance on behavioral measures. Sixteen participants underwent fMRI while completing a task designed to individually-localize the TPJ, and then three separate rtfMRI-NF scans during which they completed multiple runs of a training task while receiving intermittent, activation-based feedback from the TPJ, and one run of a transfer task in which no neurofeedback was provided. Region-of-interest analyses demonstrated volitional control in most regions during the training tasks and during the transfer task, although the effects were smaller in magnitude and not observed in one of the neurofeedback targets for the transfer task. Text analysis demonstrated that volitional control was most strongly associated with thinking about prior social experiences when up-regulating the neural signal. Analysis of behavioral performance and brain-behavior associations largely did not reveal behavior changes except for a positive association between volitional control in RTPJ and changes in performance on one ToM task. Exploratory analysis suggested neurofeedback-related learning occurred, although some degree of volitional control appeared to be conferred with the initial self-regulation strategy provided to participants (i.e., without the neurofeedback signal). Critical study limitations include the lack of a control group and pre-rtfMRI transfer scan, which prevents a more direct assessment of neurofeedback-induced volitional control, and a small sample size, which may have led to an overestimate and/or unreliable estimate of study effects. Nonetheless, together, this study demonstrates the feasibility of training volitional control of a social cognitive brain network, which may have important clinical applications. Given the study's limitations, findings from this study should be replicated with more robust experimental designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Saxena
- Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Blvd Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Bridget J Shovestul
- Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Blvd Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Emily M Dudek
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Boulevard Houston, TX 77204 USA
| | - Stephanie Reda
- Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Blvd Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Arun Venkataraman
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
| | - J Steven Lamberti
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642 USA
| | - David Dodell-Feder
- Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, 500 Wilson Blvd Rochester, NY 14627 USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642 USA.
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Treal T, Jackson PL, Meugnot A. Biological postural oscillations during facial expression of pain in virtual characters modulate early and late ERP components associated with empathy: A pilot study. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18161. [PMID: 37560681 PMCID: PMC10407205 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a surge in the use of virtual characters in cognitive sciences. However, their behavioural realism remains to be perfected in order to trigger more spontaneous and socially expected reactions in users. It was recently shown that biological postural oscillations (idle motion) were a key ingredient to enhance the empathic response to its facial pain expression. The objective of this study was to examine, using electroencephalography, whether idle motion would modulate the neural response associated with empathy when viewing a pain-expressing virtual character. Twenty healthy young adults were shown video clips of a virtual character displaying a facial expression of pain while its body was either static (Still condition) or animated with pre-recorded human postural oscillations (Idle condition). Participants rated the virtual human's facial expression of pain as significantly more intense in the Idle condition compared to the Still condition. Both the early (N2-N3) and the late (rLPP) event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with distinct dimensions of empathy, affective resonance and perspective-taking, respectively, were greater in the Idle condition compared to the Still condition. These findings confirm the potential of idle motion to increase empathy for pain expressed by virtual characters. They are discussed in line with contemporary empathy models in relation to human-machine interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Treal
- Université Paris-Saclay CIAMS, 91405, Orsay, France
- CIAMS, Université d'Orléans, 45067, Orléans, France
| | - Philip L. Jackson
- École de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, Canada
- CERVO Research Center, Québec, Canada
| | - Aurore Meugnot
- Université Paris-Saclay CIAMS, 91405, Orsay, France
- CIAMS, Université d'Orléans, 45067, Orléans, France
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Zhou X, Chen Y, Zhu L, An Z, Zhang J, Ge J. The Association Between Group Identity and Post-Traumatic Growth in the Post COVID-19 Era: The Mediating Effect of Social-Emotional Competence. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2023; 16:2869-2882. [PMID: 37534300 PMCID: PMC10390763 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s419484] [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: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To investigate the impact of human-society relationships on individual post-traumatic growth (PTG) in the post COVID-19 era, this study examined the association between group identity (GI) and PTG, and explored the mediating role of social-emotional competence (SEC). Patients and Methods In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 1203 high school students in an eastern region of China using the GI Scale, the SEC Scale, and the PTG Scale. We conducted correlation and mediation analyses using SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS software. Results The results indicated that GI was a significant positive predictor of PTG (β=0.219, p<0.001), and that the pathway between GI and PTG was partially mediated by SEC (Effect=0.074, 95% CI= [0.045,0.104]). Conclusion GI can have both direct and indirect effects on PTG, with the latter mediated by SEC. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for promoting PTG and enhancing mental health in the post COVID-19 era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhou
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yifei Chen
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lidong Zhu
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhenni An
- College of Education and Human Development, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianzhen Zhang
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiahao Ge
- College of Education and Human Development, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
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Troncoso A, Soto V, Gomila A, Martínez-Pernía D. Moving beyond the lab: investigating empathy through the Empirical 5E approach. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1119469. [PMID: 37519389 PMCID: PMC10374225 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119469] [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: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that plays a crucial role in human social interactions. Recent developments in social neuroscience have provided valuable insights into the neural underpinnings and bodily mechanisms underlying empathy. This methodology often prioritizes precision, replicability, internal validity, and confound control. However, fully understanding the complexity of empathy seems unattainable by solely relying on artificial and controlled laboratory settings, while overlooking a comprehensive view of empathy through an ecological experimental approach. In this article, we propose articulating an integrative theoretical and methodological framework based on the 5E approach (the "E"s stand for embodied, embedded, enacted, emotional, and extended perspectives of empathy), highlighting the relevance of studying empathy as an active interaction between embodied agents, embedded in a shared real-world environment. In addition, we illustrate how a novel multimodal approach including mobile brain and body imaging (MoBi) combined with phenomenological methods, and the implementation of interactive paradigms in a natural context, are adequate procedures to study empathy from the 5E approach. In doing so, we present the Empirical 5E approach (E5E) as an integrative scientific framework to bridge brain/body and phenomenological attributes in an interbody interactive setting. Progressing toward an E5E approach can be crucial to understanding empathy in accordance with the complexity of how it is experienced in the real world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Troncoso
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vicente Soto
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Antoni Gomila
- Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - David Martínez-Pernía
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
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Christov-Moore L, Reggente N, Vaccaro A, Schoeller F, Pluimer B, Douglas PK, Iacoboni M, Man K, Damasio A, Kaplan JT. Preventing antisocial robots: A pathway to artificial empathy. Sci Robot 2023; 8:eabq3658. [PMID: 37436969 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abq3658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Given the accelerating powers of artificial intelligence (AI), we must equip artificial agents and robots with empathy to prevent harmful and irreversible decisions. Current approaches to artificial empathy focus on its cognitive or performative processes, overlooking affect, and thus promote sociopathic behaviors. Artificially vulnerable, fully empathic AI is necessary to prevent sociopathic robots and protect human welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Christov-Moore
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Brain Research Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA
- Consciousness Center of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
| | - Nicco Reggente
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA
| | - Anthony Vaccaro
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Felix Schoeller
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Centre, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Brock Pluimer
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Pamela K Douglas
- Institute for Simulation and Training, Department of Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marco Iacoboni
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Brain Research Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kingson Man
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Antonio Damasio
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonas T Kaplan
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Cabañas C, Senju A, Smith TJ. The audience who knew too much: investigating the role of spontaneous theory of mind on the processing of dramatic irony scenes in film. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1183660. [PMID: 37469900 PMCID: PMC10353302 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1183660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
As in real life, cinema viewers rely on spontaneous theory of mind (SToM) to interpret characters' mental states. Thus, analyzing cinematic structures offers a unique opportunity to examine ecologically valid sociocognitive processes. We conducted a proof-of-concept study (N = 42) to explore how SToM inferences impact film event comprehension in dramatic irony scenes, where knowledge divergence exists between the audience and characters. We hypothesized that spectators would focus more on characters' mental states in such false-belief inducing scenarios compared to scenarios without such disparity. We used six Harold Lloyd silent comedy clips in a narrative comprehension and spontaneous mental state attribution study with a between-subject (Knowledge Manipulation: Installation vs. Control) and within-subject (Phase: Context vs. Exploitation) comparisons. We provided critical information unknown to the characters only to the Installation group and withheld it from the Control group. By comparing differences in participants' descriptions of the clips during the Context phase (varying across groups) and Exploitation phase (same across groups), we evaluated viewers' processing of the same scenes based on their false- or true-belief representations. Our findings indicate that the Installation group used more cognitive mental state words during the Exploitation phase relative to the Context phase, suggesting that exposure to undisclosed critical information enhances the frequency of spontaneous epistemic state inferences and integration into event models of the exploitation. This research advances neurocinematics by highlighting spontaneous sociocognitive processes in event perception and comprehension and provides a novel dramatic irony film corpus and measures for future moment-to-moment SToM processing studies across cognitive-behavioral, physiological, and neural levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Cabañas
- Cognition in Naturalistic Environments (CINE) Lab, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Atsushi Senju
- Cognition in Naturalistic Environments (CINE) Lab, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Research Centre for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
| | - Tim J. Smith
- Cognition in Naturalistic Environments (CINE) Lab, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Campos C, Rocha NB, Barbosa F. Dissociating cognitive and affective empathy across psychopathy dimensions: The role of interoception and alexithymia. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1082965. [PMID: 37457066 PMCID: PMC10345207 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1082965] [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: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examined the associations between psychopathy dimensions (triarchic phenotypes and classical factors), empathy domains (cognitive and affective), and interoception (interoceptive attention and accuracy) while accounting for the putative role of alexithymia. A community sample (n = 515) completed an online survey encompassing: Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (boldness, meanness, disinhibition); Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (primary and secondary psychopathy); Body Perception Questionnaire (interoceptive attention); Interoceptive Accuracy Scale; Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Hierarchical linear regression models were implemented for hypothesis-driven analyses examining the associations between psychopathy, empathy, and interoception while controlling for sex, age, and alexithymia. Exploratory path models were employed to investigate alexithymia and/or cognitive empathy as mediators between interoception and psychopathy. Our results largely confirmed the postulated empathy profiles across psychopathy dimensions, as meanness and primary psychopathy displayed a broad empathy impairment, while disinhibition and secondary psychopathy were only associated with diminished cognitive empathy. Importantly, boldness displayed a unique pattern (enhanced cognitive empathy and reduced affective empathy), further reinforcing its importance within the constellation of psychopathy traits. Contrary to our hypotheses, self-perceived interoceptive attention and accuracy were not associated with either psychopathy dimension after controlling for alexithymia. However, interoceptive accuracy and alexithymia were associated with cognitive empathy, while alexithymia was also positively related to all psychopathy dimensions (as expected), despite the unexpected strong and negative association with boldness. Exploratory analyses suggested significant indirect effects (mediation) between interoceptive accuracy and psychopathy via alexithymia and/or cognitive empathy. These mediating effects must be interpreted with caution and future studies should be designed to formally test this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Campos
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Neurocognition Group|LabRP, School of Health, Center for Rehabilitation Research, Polytechnic University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Barbosa Rocha
- School of Health, Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research, Polytechnic University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Fernando Barbosa
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Roerig S, van Wesel F, Evers SJTM, van der Meulen A, Krabbendam L. How, when and why abilities go social: researching children's empathy and prosocial behaviors in context. Front Psychol 2023; 14:952786. [PMID: 37416549 PMCID: PMC10321705 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.952786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The current paper undertakes interdisciplinary research on empathy in children by combining insights and methodological tools from the fields of psychology, education and anthropology. The researchers aim to map how children's individual empathic abilities studied on a cognitive level do or do not coincide with their empathic expressions as part of group dynamics in daily life at the classroom level. Method We combined qualitative and quantitative methods within three different classrooms at three different schools. In total, 77 children aged between 9 to 12 years participated. Results The results indicate how such an interdisciplinary approach can provide unique insights. Through the integration of data from our different research tools we could reveal the interplay between different levels. More specifically this meant showing the possible influence of rule-based prosocial behaviors versus empathy based prosocial behaviors, the interplay between community empathic abilities and individual empathic abilities, and the role of peer culture and school culture. Discussion These insights can be seen as encouragement toward a research approach that extends beyond the single disciplinary field in social science research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Roerig
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Department of Clinical Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Anna van der Meulen
- Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lydia Krabbendam
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Department of Clinical Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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32
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Quettier T, Di Lello N, Tsuchiya N, Sessa P. INs and OUTs of faces in consciousness: a study of the temporal evolution of consciousness of faces during binocular rivalry. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1145653. [PMID: 37284480 PMCID: PMC10241245 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1145653] [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: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Contents of consciousness change over time. However, the study of dynamics in consciousness has been largely neglected. Aru and Bachmann have recently brought to the attention of scientists dealing with consciousness the relevance of making inquiries about its temporal evolution. Importantly, they also pointed out several experimental questions as guidelines for researchers interested in studying the temporal evolution of consciousness, including the phases of formation and dissolution of content. They also suggested that these two phases could be characterized by asymmetric inertia. The main objective of the present investigation was to approximate the dynamics of these two phases in the context of conscious face perception. To this aim, we tested the time course of content transitions during a binocular rivalry task using face stimuli and asked participants to map their subjective experience of transitions from one content to the other through a joystick. We then computed metrics of joystick velocity linked to content transitions as proxies of the formation and dissolution phases. We found a general phase effect such that the formation phase was slower than the dissolution phase. Furthermore, we observed an effect specific to happy facial expressions, such that their contents were slower to form and dissolve than that of neutral expressions. We further propose to include a third phase of stabilization of conscious content between formation and dissolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Quettier
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Nicolò Di Lello
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Naotsugu Tsuchiya
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health & School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Osaka, Japan
- Advanced Telecommunications Research Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Paola Sessa
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
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33
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How the self guides empathy choice. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2023.104444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Feldman R. The neurobiology of hatred: Tools of Dialogue© intervention for youth reared amidst intractable conflict impacts brain, behaviour, and peacebuilding attitudes. Acta Paediatr 2023; 112:603-616. [PMID: 36655828 DOI: 10.1111/apa.16676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Myths, drama, and sacred texts have warned against the fragile nature of human love; the closer the affiliative bond, the quicker it can turn into hatred, suggesting similarities in the neurobiological underpinnings of love and hatred. Here, I offer a theoretical account on the neurobiology of hatred based on our model on the biology of human attachments and its three foundations; the oxytocin system, the "affiliative brain", comprising the neural network sustaining attachment, and biobehavioural synchrony, the process by which humans create a coupled biology through coordinated action. These systems mature in mammals in the context of the mother-infant bond and then transfer to support life within social groups. During this transition, they partition to support affiliation and solidarity to one's group and fear and hatred towards out-group based on minor variations in social behaviour. I present the Tools of Dialogue© intervention for outgroup members based on social synchrony. Applied to Israeli and Palestinian youth and implementing RCT, we measured social behaviour, attitudes, hormones, and social brain response before and after the 8-session intervention. Youth receiving the intervention increased reciprocity and reduced hostile behaviour towards outgroup, attenuated the neural marker of prejudice and increased neural empathic response, reduced cortisol and elevated oxytocin, and adapted attitudes of compromise. These neural changes predicted peacebuilding support 7 years later, when young adults can engage in civil responsibilities. Our intervention, the first to show long-term effects of inter-group intervention on brain and behaviour, demonstrates how social synchrony can tilt the neurobiology of hatred towards the pole of affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Feldman
- Center of Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzlia, Israel
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35
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Luis EO, Martínez M, Akrivou K, Scalzo G, Aoiz M, Orón Semper JV. The role of empathy in shared intentionality: Contributions from Inter-Processual Self theory. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1079950. [PMID: 36968699 PMCID: PMC10036387 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1079950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Research in psychology related to the conceptualization of empathy has been on the rise in the last decades. However, we argue that there is still space for further research to help capture the important notion of empathy and its theoretical and conceptual depth. Following a critical review of the current state of the research that conceptualizes and measures empathy, we focus on works that highlight the importance of a shared vision and its relevance in psychology and neuroscience. Considering the state of the art of current neuroscientific and psychological approaches to empathy, we argue for the relevance of shared intention and shared vision in empathy-related actions. Upon review of different models that emphasize a shared vision for informing research on empathy, we suggest that a newly developed theory of self, human growth and action–the so-called Inter-Processual Self theory (IPS)–can significantly and novelly inform the theorization on empathy beyond what the literature has stated to date. Then, we show how an understanding of integrity as a relational act that requires empathy is an essential mechanism for current key research on empathy and its related concepts and models. Ultimately, we aim to present IPS as a distinctive proposal to expand upon the conceptualization of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elkin O. Luis
- Psychological Processes in Education and Health Group, School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Methods and Research in Affective and Cognitive Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Martín Martínez
- Methods and Research in Affective and Cognitive Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Kleio Akrivou
- Henley Business School, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Kleio Akrivou,
| | - Germán Scalzo
- School of Business, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Martín Aoiz
- Institute of Modern Languages, School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
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Vickers BD, Seidler RD, Stansfield RB, Weissman DH, Preston SD. Altruistic responses to the most vulnerable involve sensorimotor processes. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1140986. [PMID: 36970269 PMCID: PMC10036353 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1140986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionWhy do people help strangers? Prior research suggests that empathy motivates bystanders to respond to victims in distress. However, this work has revealed relatively little about the role of the motor system in human altruism, even though altruism is thought to have originated as an active, physical response to close others in immediate need. We therefore investigated whether a motor preparatory response contributes to costly helping.MethodsTo accomplish this objective, we contrasted three charity conditions that were more versus less likely to elicit an active motor response, based on the Altruistic Response Model. These conditions described charities that (1) aided neonates versus adults, (2) aided victims requiring immediate versus preparatory support, and (3) provided heroic versus nurturant aid. We hypothesized that observing neonates in immediate need would elicit stronger brain activation in motor-preparatory regions.ResultsConsistent with an evolutionary, caregiving-based theory of altruism, participants donated the most to charities that provided neonates with immediate, nurturant aid. Critically, this three-way donation interaction was associated with increased BOLD signal and gray matter volume in motor-preparatory regions, which we identified in an independent motor retrieval task.DiscussionThese findings advance the field of altruism by shifting the spotlight from passive emotional states toward action processes that evolved to protect the most vulnerable members of our group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D. Vickers
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Rachael D. Seidler
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - R. Brent Stansfield
- Department of Medical Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Daniel H. Weissman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Stephanie D. Preston
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Stephanie D. Preston,
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Nikrahan GR. Theory of brain complexity and marital behaviors: The application of complexity science and neuroscience to explain the complexities of marital behaviors. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1050164. [PMID: 36959907 PMCID: PMC10027753 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1050164] [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: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The extant theories on the quality and stability of marital relationships have some difficulties in explaining some of the complexities of marital behaviors. The present article is an initial attempt to explain the complexities of marital behaviors based on the science of complexity and neuroscience. This article proposes a new theoretical framework relying on this simple argument that marital behaviors, as one of the most complex human behaviors, are the product of one's brain's complex adaptive system (CAS). Hence, to understand the complexities of marital behaviors, a movement toward familiarity with the brain's CAS involved in marital behaviors needs to be started. The article presents the theory of brain complexity and marital behaviors (BCM) and outlines its assumptions, concepts, and propositions. Then, BCM is compared with the extant theories on happy and stable marriage, and finally, it was concluded by discussing the testability and the potential application of the theory. This article might inspire interdisciplinary studies of marital relationships, complex systems, and neuroscience and may have considerable practical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gholam Reza Nikrahan
- Department of Psychology, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
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Olszewski AE, Bogetz J, Mercer A, Bradford MC, Scott M, Fields B, Williams K, Rosenberg AR, Trowbridge A. Empathy Expression in Interpreted and Noninterpreted Care Conferences of Seriously Ill Children. Pediatrics 2023; 151:e2022059447. [PMID: 36785992 PMCID: PMC9986854 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-059447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Clinician empathy is associated with improved communication and clinical outcomes. We hypothesized that, when clinicians express empathy, families are more likely to deepen discussions, and that clinicians express less empathy in care conferences with language interpretation. METHODS Prospective, mixed methods cohort study of English and interpreted audio-recorded transcripts of care conferences for pediatric patients with serious illness hospitalized at a single urban, quaternary medical institution between January 2018 and January 2021. Directed content analysis identified empathic opportunities, clinician empathetic statements or missed opportunities, and family responses. Clinician empathic statements were "buried" if immediately followed by more clinician medical talk. Descriptive analyses summarized demographics and codes. χ2 analyses summarized differences among language interpretation and family responses. RESULTS Twenty-nine patient-family dyads participated. Twenty-two (81%) family members were female. Eleven (39%) used language interpretation (8 Spanish, 2 Vietnamese, 1 Somali). Families created 210 empathic opportunities. Clinicians responded with unburied empathy 80 times (38%, no differences for English versus interpreted care conferences, P = .88). When clinicians buried empathy or missed empathic opportunities, families responded with alliance (agreement, gratitude, or emotional deepening) 14% and 15% of the time, respectively. When clinicians responded with unburied empathy, families responded with alliance 83% of the time (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that clinician empathic expression does not differ when language interpretation is used in pediatric care conferences. Clinicians often miss opportunities to express empathy, or they bury it by medical talk. Although unburied empathy created opportunities for relationship-building and family-sharing, buried empathy negatively impacted these domains similarly to no empathic expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra E. Olszewski
- Divisions of Bioethics and Palliative Care
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jori Bogetz
- Divisions of Bioethics and Palliative Care
- Palliative Care and Resilience Program
| | | | - Miranda C. Bradford
- Palliative Care and Resilience Program
- Core for Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Analytics in Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Maya Scott
- Divisions of Bioethics and Palliative Care
- Center for Diversity and Health Equity
| | | | - Kelli Williams
- Parent Advisory Council, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington
| | - Abby R. Rosenberg
- Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington
- Palliative Care and Resilience Program
| | - Amy Trowbridge
- Divisions of Bioethics and Palliative Care
- Palliative Care and Resilience Program
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Malykhin N, Pietrasik W, Aghamohammadi-Sereshki A, Ngan Hoang K, Fujiwara E, Olsen F. Emotional recognition across the adult lifespan: Effects of age, sex, cognitive empathy, alexithymia traits, and amygdala subnuclei volumes. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:367-383. [PMID: 36478439 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability to recognize others' emotions is vital to everyday life. The goal of this study was to assess which emotions show age-related decline in recognition accuracy of facial emotional expressions across the entire adult lifespan and how this process is related to cognitive empathy (Theory of Mind [ToM]), alexithymia traits, and amygdala subnuclei volumes in a large cohort of healthy individuals. We recruited 140 healthy participants 18-85 years old. Facial affect processing was assessed with the Penn Emotion Recognition task (ER40) that contains images of the five basic emotions: Neutral, Happy, Sad, Angry, and Fearful. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets were acquired on a 4.7T MRI system. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between studied variables. We found that while both sexes demonstrated age-related reduction in recognition of happy emotions and preserved recognition of sadness, male participants showed age-related reduction in recognition of fear, while in female participants, age-related decline was linked to recognition of neutral and angry facial expressions. In both sexes, accurate recognition of sadness negatively correlated with alexithymia traits. On the other hand, better ToM capabilities in male participants were associated with improvement in recognition of positive and neutral emotions. Finally, none of the observed age-related reductions in emotional recognition were related to amygdala and its subnuclei volumes. In contrast, both global volume of amygdala and its cortical and centromedial subnuclei had significant direct effects on recognition of sad images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai Malykhin
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Wojciech Pietrasik
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Kim Ngan Hoang
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Esther Fujiwara
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fraser Olsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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40
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Chen F, Ge Y, Xu W, Yu J, Zhang Y, Xu X, Zhang S. Changing Kindergarten Teachers' Mindsets Toward Children to Overcome Compassion Fatigue. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2023; 16:521-533. [PMID: 36855598 PMCID: PMC9968431 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s398622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Kindergarten teachers who empathize with toddlers experience a great risk of burnout and emotional disturbance. This is referred to as compassion fatigue, in which teachers' empathy experience is reduced. This study proposed a moderated mediation model to identify the risks of compassion fatigue and its protective factors for developing evidence-based clinical interventions. Methods In this cross-sectional study, self-report measures were administered to 1049 kindergarten teachers to observe their mindsets toward children, motivation for teacher empathy, job stress, social support, and compassion fatigue. The PROCESS macro (SPSS 23.0) was used to assess the moderated mediation model. Results The results demonstrated that motivation for teacher empathy mediated the negative relationship between kindergarten teachers' mindsets toward children and compassion fatigue. Moreover, job stress and social support moderated the relationship between kindergarten teachers' mindsets toward children and motivation for teacher empathy. However, this effect was not observed in the negative relationship between kindergarten teachers' mindsets toward children and compassion fatigue. Conclusion The proposed moderated mediation model was found to be valid. Furthermore, the study findings have practical implications for developing evidence-based interventions for addressing kindergarten teachers' compassion fatigue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyan Chen
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yabo Ge
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China,College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenjun Xu
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junshuai Yu
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xingjian Xu
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuqiong Zhang
- Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, People’s Republic of China,Correspondence: Shuqiong Zhang, Institute of Child Development, Jinhua Polytechnic, 1188 Wuzhou Road, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, 321007, People’s Republic of China, Email
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Tarantino L, Attanasio M, Di Mascio T, De Gasperis G, Valenti M, Mazza M. On the Evaluation of Engagement in Immersive Applications When Users Are on the Autism Spectrum. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:2192. [PMID: 36850787 PMCID: PMC9963697 DOI: 10.3390/s23042192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
New generation wearable devices allow for the development of interactive environments tailored for Virtual Reality (VR)- and Augmented Reality (AR)-based treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Experts agree on their potential; however, there is lack of consensus on how to perform trials and the need arises for evaluation frameworks, methods, and techniques appropriate for the ASD population. In this paper, we report on a study conducted with high-functioning ASD people in the 21-23 age range, with the objectives of (1) evaluating the engagement of two headsets offering distinct immersive experiences, (2) reasoning on the interpretation of engagement factors in the case of ASD people, and (3) translating results into general guidelines for the development of VR/AR-based ASD treatment. To this aim, we (1) designed two engagement evaluation frameworks based on behavioral observation measures, (2) set up two packages of reference immersive scenarios, (3) defined the association between metrics and scenarios, and (4) administered the scenarios in distinct sessions for the investigated headsets. Results show that the immersive experiences are engaging and that the apparent lack of success of some evaluation factors can become potential advantages within the framework of VR/AR-based ASD treatment design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tarantino
- Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Margherita Attanasio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Tania Di Mascio
- Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Giovanni De Gasperis
- Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Marco Valenti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
- Regional Reference Center for Autism of the Abruzzo Region, Local Health Unit ASL 1, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Monica Mazza
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
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Dapor C, Sperandio I, Meconi F. Fading boundaries between the physical and the social world: Insights and novel techniques from the intersection of these two fields. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1028150. [PMID: 36861005 PMCID: PMC9969107 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1028150] [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: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on the subtle interactions between sensory input and social cognition in visual perception. We suggest that body indices, such as gait and posture, can mediate such interactions. Recent trends in cognitive research are trying to overcome approaches that define perception as stimulus-centered and are pointing toward a more embodied agent-dependent perspective. According to this view, perception is a constructive process in which sensory inputs and motivational systems contribute to building an image of the external world. A key notion emerging from new theories on perception is that the body plays a critical role in shaping our perception. Depending on our arm's length, height and capacity of movement, we create our own image of the world based on a continuous compromise between sensory inputs and expected behavior. We use our bodies as natural "rulers" to measure both the physical and the social world around us. We point out the necessity of an integrative approach in cognitive research that takes into account the interplay between social and perceptual dimensions. To this end, we review long-established and novel techniques aimed at measuring bodily states and movements, and their perception, with the assumption that only by combining the study of visual perception and social cognition can we deepen our understanding of both fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Dapor
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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43
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Impact of social exclusion on empathy in women with borderline personality disorder. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023:10.1007/s00406-022-01535-0. [PMID: 36604330 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-022-01535-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Unstable interpersonal relationships and fear of abandonment are core symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) that often intensify during stress. Psychosocial stress, which includes components of social exclusion and increases cortisol secretion, enhances emotional empathy in healthy individuals. Women with BPD, on the contrary, react with reduced emotional empathy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of perceived social exclusion without accompanying cortisol increase on empathy in women with BPD and healthy women. To induce social exclusion, we randomized 98 women with BPD and 98 healthy women to either an exclusion or an overinclusion (control) condition of Cyberball, a virtual ball game. Subsequently, participants underwent the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), which assesses cognitive and emotional empathy. There was no increase in cortisol release after Cyberball. Cognitive empathy did not differ between groups or conditions. Women with BPD reported lower emotional empathy for positive emotions (group by valence interaction), but not for negative emotions. Exploratory analyses suggested that this effect might be more pronounced after social exclusion. Our results confirm previous findings that cognitive empathy does not differ between women with BPD and healthy women and extend this evidence to social exclusion. Emotional empathy in women with BPD seems to be more sensitive to the effects of stress or ambiguous social situations. Specifically, emotional empathy seems to be reduced for positive emotions, and might further decline after social exclusion. Empathic reactions to emotional stimuli of different valences and to specific emotions should be further investigated.
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44
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Chen T, Li Q, Peng M, Li X. Moral transgression modulates empathy for pain: Evidence from ERP and EEG data. Biol Psychol 2023; 176:108467. [PMID: 36455804 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108467] [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: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Empathy for others' pain plays a critical role in human social interactions; however, the influence of moral transgression remains unclear. We examined the effect of moral transgression on the behavioral and underlying neural processes of empathy for others' pain. Participants performed a pain-empathy task separately in a moral transgression condition and a neutral behavior condition, while an electroencephalogram was recorded. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that empathic response, as reflected in the late positive component, was smaller when participants performed the task in the moral transgression condition than in the neutral behavior condition. Time-frequency results also showed decreased empathic effect on the beta event-related desynchronization response in the moral transgression as compared to the neutral behavior condition. However, empathic response as reflected in the N2 component was comparable between the moral conditions. These findings demonstrate a moral transgression effect on both cognitive evaluations and sensorimotor processes of empathy for others' pain. Furthermore, spontaneous alpha-oscillation power recorded prior to the onset of empathy-inducing stimuli was significantly higher in the moral transgression condition than in the neutral behavior condition. Consequently, differences in sustained attention may be the physiological foundation of the impact of moral transgression of the observed person on the cognitive and sensorimotor processes of empathy for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianlong Chen
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qianqian Li
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ming Peng
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior of the Ministry of Education and School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Xu Li
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior of the Ministry of Education and School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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45
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Cox SS, Reichel CM. The intersection of empathy and addiction. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 222:173509. [PMID: 36565789 PMCID: PMC10518853 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Empathy, the ability to perceive the affective state of another, is a complex process that is integral to many of the prosocial behaviors expressed in humans and across the animal kingdom. Research into the behavioral and neurobiological underpinnings of empathic behaviors has increased in recent years. Growing evidence suggests changes in empathy may contribute to a myriad of psychiatric illnesses, including substance use disorder (SUD). Indeed, both clinical and preclinical research in SUD demonstrates a strong relationship between drug taking or relapse events and changes to empathic behavior. Further, there is significant overlap in the underlying neural substrates of these complex behaviors, including the insula, paraventricular nucleus of thalamus (PVT), and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of the interplay between empathic behaviors and SUD. We will also examine the underlying neurobiology that may regulate this interaction, focusing specifically on the insula, PVT, and PVN. Finally, we discuss the biologic and therapeutic importance of taking empathic processes into consideration when discussing SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stewart S Cox
- Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. of Neurosciences, United States of America.
| | - Carmela M Reichel
- Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. of Neurosciences, United States of America.
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46
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Chow TE, Veziris CR, Mundada N, Martinez-Arroyo AI, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Rosen HJ, Gorno-Tempini ML, Rankin KP, Seeley WW, Rabinovici GD, La Joie R, Sturm VE. Medial Temporal Lobe Tau Aggregation Relates to Divergent Cognitive and Emotional Empathy Abilities in Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 96:313-328. [PMID: 37742643 PMCID: PMC10894587 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230367] [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: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the gradual accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau proteins may underlie alterations in empathy. OBJECTIVE To assess whether tau aggregation in the medial temporal lobes related to differences in cognitive empathy (the ability to take others' perspectives) and emotional empathy (the ability to experience others' feelings) in AD. METHODS Older adults (n = 105) completed molecular Aβ positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Sixty-eight of the participants (35 women) were Aβ positive and symptomatic with diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment, dementia of the Alzheimer's type, logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia, or posterior cortical atrophy. The remaining 37 (22 women) were asymptomatic Aβ negative healthy older controls. Using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, we compared current levels of informant-rated cognitive empathy (Perspective-Taking subscale) and emotional empathy (Empathic Concern subscale) in the Aβ positive and negative participants. The Aβ positive participants also underwent molecular tau-PET scans, which were used to investigate whether regional tau burden in the bilateral medial temporal lobes related to empathy. RESULTS Aβ positive participants had lower perspective-taking and higher empathic concern than Aβ negative healthy controls. Medial temporal tau aggregation in the Aβ positive participants had divergent associations with cognitive and emotional empathy. Whereas greater tau burden in the amygdala predicted lower perspective-taking, greater tau burden in the entorhinal cortex predicted greater empathic concern. Tau burden in the parahippocampal cortex did not predict either form of empathy. CONCLUSIONS Across AD clinical syndromes, medial temporal lobe tau aggregation is associated with lower perspective-taking yet higher empathic concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany E. Chow
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christina R. Veziris
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nidhi Mundada
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexis I. Martinez-Arroyo
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joel H. Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bruce L. Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Howard J. Rosen
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Katherine P. Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - William W. Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gil D. Rabinovici
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Virginia E. Sturm
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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The association between acute stress & empathy: A systematic literature review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:105003. [PMID: 36535374 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is a fundamental component of our social-emotional experience. Over the last decade, there has been increased interest in understanding the effects of acute stress on empathy. We provide a first comprehensive-and systematic-overview identifying emerging patterns and gaps in this literature. Regarding affective empathy, there is abundant evidence for stress contagion-the 'spillover' of stress from a stressed target to an unstressed perceiver. We highlight contextual factors that can facilitate and/or undermine these effects. Fewer studies have investigated the effects of acute stress on affective empathy, revealing a nuanced picture, some evidence suggests acute stress can block contagion of other's emotions; but again contextual differences need to be considered. Regarding cognitive empathy, most studies find no conclusive effects for simplistic measures of emotion recognition; however, studies using more complex empathy tasks find that acute stress might affect cognitive empathy differentially for men and women. This review provides an important first step towards understanding how acute stress can impact social-togetherness, and aims to aid future research by highlighting (in)congruencies and outstanding questions.
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Using performance art to promote intergroup prosociality by cultivating the belief that empathy is unlimited. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7786. [PMID: 36526623 PMCID: PMC9756713 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35235-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy is important for resolving intergroup conflicts. However, people often tend to feel less empathy toward people who do not belong to their social group (i.e., outgroup members). We propose that this tendency is due, in part, to the belief that empathy is a limited resource. To overcome this issue, we develop an intervention synthesizing psychology and art to increase the belief that empathy is unlimited. In six studies (n = 2118), we find that the more people believe empathy is limited, the less outgroup empathy they experience. Moreover, leading people to believe that empathy is unlimited increase outgroup empathy, leads to greater support for prosocial actions toward outgroup members, and encourages more empathic behaviors toward outgroup members in face-to-face intergroup interactions. These intervention effects are observed across various intergroup contexts involving different ethnic, national, religious, and political groups. Thus, changing beliefs about empathy may improve intergroup relations, and conveying this belief through art may promote social change.
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Jiao L, Luo L. Dispositional Awe Positively Predicts Prosocial Tendencies: The Multiple Mediation Effects of Connectedness and Empathy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16605. [PMID: 36554484 PMCID: PMC9779239 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Awe is an emotion frequently experienced by individuals in different cultures. When individuals experience awe, they would feel a sense of connectedness to other people or nature arises, and shift their attention to the outside world, which would increase empathy for others in need and, in turn, improve their prosocial tendencies. To test this proposal, we applied a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey to collect a sample of 1545 (Nfemale = 988) in Asia, aged between 16 and 71 years old (M = 22.81, SD = 7.80). The Structural Equation Model and bootstrapping method were used to test the mediation effects of connectedness and empathy between awe and prosocial tendency. Results showed that dispositional awe positively predicted a prosocial tendency, which could be partially explained by the multiple mediation effects of connectedness and empathy, after controlling for the effect of the small self. The findings deepen researchers' understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between awe and prosociality and have practical implications for cultivating awe and prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Jiao
- The Department of Economics and Management, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang 641112, China
| | - Li Luo
- The Department of Education Science, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang 641112, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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Chow TE, Veziris CR, La Joie R, Lee AJ, Brown JA, Yokoyama JS, Rankin KP, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Rabinovici GD, Seeley WW, Sturm VE. Increasing empathic concern relates to salience network hyperconnectivity in cognitively healthy older adults with elevated amyloid-β burden. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 37:103282. [PMID: 36525744 PMCID: PMC9758499 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Enhanced emotional empathy, the ability to share others' affective experiences, can be a feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but whether emotional empathy increases in the preclinical phase of the disease is unknown. We measured emotional empathy over time (range = 0 - 7.3 years, mean = 2.4 years) in 86 older adults during a period in which they were cognitively healthy, functionally normal, and free of dementia symptoms. For each participant, we computed longitudinal trajectories for empathic concern (i.e., an other-oriented form of emotional empathy that promotes prosocial actions) and emotional contagion (i.e., a self-focused form of emotional empathy often accompanied by feelings of distress) from informant ratings of participants' empathy on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Amyloid-β (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) scans were used to classify participants as either Aβ positive (Aβ+, n = 23) or negative (Aβ-, n = 63) based on Aβ-PET cortical binding. Participants also underwent structural and task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging approximately two years on average after their last empathy assessment, at which time most participants remained cognitively healthy. Results indicated that empathic concern, but not emotional contagion, increased more over time in Aβ+ participants than in Aβ- participants despite no initial group difference at the first measurement. Higher connectivity between certain salience network node-pairs (i.e., pregenual anterior cingulate cortex and periaqueductal gray) predicted longitudinal increases in empathic concern in the Aβ+ group but not in the Aβ- group. The Aβ+ participants also had higher overall salience network connectivity than Aβ- participants despite no differences in gray matter volume. These results suggest gains in empathic concern may be a very early feature of AD pathophysiology that relates to hyperconnectivity in the salience network, a system that supports emotion generation and interoception. A better understanding of emotional empathy trajectories in the early stages of AD pathophysiology will broaden the lens on preclinical AD changes and help clinicians to identify older adults who should be screened for AD biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany E Chow
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Christina R Veziris
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Alex J Lee
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Jesse A Brown
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Jennifer S Yokoyama
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Gil D Rabinovici
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Virginia E Sturm
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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