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Göller PJ, Reicherts P, Lautenbacher S, Kunz M. Vicarious facilitation of facial responses to pain: Does the others' expression need to be painful? Eur J Pain 2024. [PMID: 39149828 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.4709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Prior exposure to others' facial expressions of pain can lead to a facilitation of pain responses, including its corresponding response channel, namely facial responses to pain. It has been questioned, however, whether this vicarious pain facilitation occurs only when observing others' pain or whether the observation of other negative expressions can trigger similar facilitation of facial responses to pain. The study aimed to test this, by comparing the impact of viewing others' facial expressions of pain versus another negative expression (sadness) and two control expressions (neutral, happiness) on facial responses to pain. METHOD Participants (N = 56; 31 females), watched short video clips of computer-generated facial expressions (pain, sadness, neutral & happiness) before they received painful and non-painful heat stimuli. Facial responses were analysed using the Facial Action Coding System. In addition, subjective and autonomic responses were assessed. RESULTS The prior exposure to others' expressions of pain and sadness versus neutral did not lead to significantly increased facial responses to pain. Likewise, subjective and autonomic pain responses were not facilitated. However, viewing others' expressions of happiness, consistently reduced facial as well as subjective and autonomic responses to pain compared to others' negative or neutral expressions. This dampening effect was not observed for non-painful heat. DISCUSSION Facial and other pain responses were most strongly affected by prior exposure to others' facial expressions of happiness, which led to a pain-dampening effect. In contrast, the evidence for vicarious facilitation of pain was rather weak in the present study, with no evidence of pain-specificity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Facial responses to pain - along with subjective and autonomic responses - are reduced when observing others' expressions of happiness, demonstrating pain modulation by positive affective social signals, which may also transfer to clinical contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Göller
- Department of Medical, Psychology and Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Reicherts
- Department of Medical, Psychology and Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Lautenbacher
- Bamberger LivingLab Dementia (BamLiD), University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Kunz
- Department of Medical, Psychology and Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
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Hardcastle VG. Entangled brains and the experience of pains. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1359687. [PMID: 38558784 PMCID: PMC10978612 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1359687] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) revised its definition of pain to "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience." Three recent recommendations for understanding pain if there are no clear brain correlates include eliminativism, multiple realizability, and affordance-based approaches. I adumbrate a different path forward. Underlying each of the proposed approaches and the new IASP definition is the suspicion that there are no specific correlates for pain. I suggest that this basic assumption is misguided. As we learn more about brain function, it is becoming clear that many areas process many different types of information at the same time. In this study, I analogize how animal brains navigate in three-dimensional space with how the brain creates pain. Underlying both cases is a large-scale combinatorial system that feeds back on itself through a diversity of convergent and divergent bi-directional connections. Brains are not like combustion engines, with energy driving outputs via the structure of the machine, but are instead more like whirlpools, which are essentially dynamic patterns in some substrates. We should understand pain experiences as context-dependent, spatiotemporal trajectories that reflect heterogeneous, multiplex, and dynamically adaptive brain cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Gray Hardcastle
- Institute of Health Innovation, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, United States
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Göller PJ, Reicherts P, Lautenbacher S, Kunz M. Vicarious facilitation of facial responses to pain. Eur J Pain 2024; 28:133-143. [PMID: 37592377 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.2169] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Observing facial expressions of pain has been shown to lead to increased subjective, neural and autonomic pain responses. Surprisingly, these vicarious facilitation effects on its corresponding response channel, namely facial responses to pain have mostly been neglected. We aim to examine whether the prior exposure to facial expressions of pain leads to a facilitation of facial responses to experimental pain; and whether this facilitation is linked to the valence (pain vs. neutral expression) or also linked to specific motor-features of the facial pain expressions (different facial muscle movements). METHOD Subjective (intensity and unpleasantness ratings) and facial responses (Facial Action Coding System) of 64 participants (34 female) to painful and non-painful heat stimuli were assessed. Before each heat stimulus, video clips of computer-generated facial expressions (three different pain expressions and a neutral expression) were presented. RESULTS The prior exposure to facial expressions of pain led to increased subjective and facial responses to pain. Further, vicarious pain facilitation of facial responses was significantly correlated with facilitation of unpleasantness ratings. We also found evidence that this vicarious facilitation of facial responses was not only linked to the presentation of pain versus neutral expressions but also to specific motor-features of the pain cue (increase in congruent facial muscle movements). DISCUSSION Vicarious pain facilitation was found for subjective and facial responses to pain. The results are discussed with reference to the motivational priming hypothesis as well as with reference to motor priming. SIGNIFICANCE Our study uncovers evidence that facial pain responses are not only influenced by motivational priming (similar to other types of pain responses), but also by motor-priming. These findings shed light on the complexity - ranging from social, affective and motor mechanisms - underling vicarious facilitation of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Göller
- Medical Psychology and Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
- Bamberger LivingLab Dementia (BamLiD), University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Philipp Reicherts
- Medical Psychology and Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Lautenbacher
- Bamberger LivingLab Dementia (BamLiD), University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Kunz
- Medical Psychology and Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
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Wang Z, Wang Y, Ji Y, Yang Z, Pei Y, Dai J, Zhang Y, Zhou F. Hypoconnectivity of the Amygdala in Patients with Low-Back-Related Leg Pain Linked to Individual Mechanical Pain Sensitivity: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study. J Pain Res 2023; 16:3775-3784. [PMID: 38026465 PMCID: PMC10640821 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s425874] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To explore resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala in patients with low-back-related leg pain (LBLP). Patients and Methods For this prospective study, a total of 35 LBLP patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were included and underwent functional MRI and clinical assessments. Then, patients with LBLP were divided into acute LBLP (aLBLP) and chronic LBLP (cLBLP) subgroups. We further evaluated the between-group rsFC differences using left and right amygdala seeds in a whole-brain voxel analysis strategy. Finally, we performed correlation analysis between the rsFC values of altered regions and clinical indices. Results Compared to HCs, hypoconnectivity of the amygdala was observed in LBLP patients (P < 0.01, with correction). The amygdala's rsFC pattern was different between aLBLP and cLBLP patients: decreased the amygdala's FC to the right putamen, to the right paracentral lobule (PCL), or to the right posterior temporal lobe in aLBLP patients, while right amygdala to the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the left postcentral gyrus (PoCG) in cLBLP patients. Correlation analysis showed that lower rsFC of the left amygdala to the right PCL was correlated with the von Frey filament (vF) test values of the left lumbar (p = 0.025) and right lumbar (p = 0.019) regions, and rsFC of the right amygdala to the left PoCG was correlated with lower vF test values of the left lumbar (p = 0.017), right lumbar spine (p = 0.003); to right PoCG was correlated with calf (p = 0.015); the rsFC of the right amygdala to bilateral ACC was negatively correlated with the pain rating index (p = 0.003). Conclusion LBLP patients showed amygdala hypoconnectivity, and the altered pattern of amygdala rsFC was different in the acute and chronic phases. Moreover, the amygdala hypoconnectivity was related to individual mechanical sensitivity (vF test) in LBLP patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyun Wang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
- Neuroradiology Laboratory, Jiangxi Province Medical Imaging Research Institute, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yao Wang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
- Neuroradiology Laboratory, Jiangxi Province Medical Imaging Research Institute, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuqi Ji
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
- Neuroradiology Laboratory, Jiangxi Province Medical Imaging Research Institute, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziwei Yang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
- Neuroradiology Laboratory, Jiangxi Province Medical Imaging Research Institute, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yixiu Pei
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Ganzhou Hospital of Nanchang University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, 341000, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiankun Dai
- MR Advanced Application, GE Healthcare, Beijing, 100176, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Pain Clinic, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, 330006, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fuqing Zhou
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
- Neuroradiology Laboratory, Jiangxi Province Medical Imaging Research Institute, Nanchang, 330006, People’s Republic of China
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Omyan S, Mazidi M, Khatibi A. Selective attention to pain and empathy: Studying frequent blood donors. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e2841. [PMID: 36454124 PMCID: PMC9847598 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Empathy is an interpersonal experience that enables understanding of other's emotions and can lead to altruistic behavior such as blood donation. Cognitive theories of empathy refer to selective attention as one of its cognitive dimensions. The current study examined if individuals who engage in altruistic behavior are characterized by a distinct pattern of selective attention to observation of pain in others. METHODS We recruited 50 volunteer blood donors. Half (n = 25) of the volunteers donated for a self-declared altruistic reason, and the other half of the volunteers donated blood for a health-related reason. We assessed the individuals' self-reported empathy with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). We then measured the individuals' selective attention toward faces expressing pain in a pictorial dot-probe task. RESULTS Consistent with the proposed hypothesis, participants who donated blood out of altruism reported significantly higher empathic concern on the IRI than those who donated blood for a health-related reason. The altruistic donors also showed significantly greater selective attention toward facial expressions of pain. Moreover, among all donors, self-report empathic concern on the IRI was significantly correlated with greater selective attention toward faces expressing pain. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that altruistic individuals not only show higher levels of empathy, but also attend more to the pain of others. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Omyan
- Institute for Cognitive Science StudiesTehranIran
| | - Mahdi Mazidi
- Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological ScienceThe University of Western AustraliaPerthAustralia
| | - Ali Khatibi
- Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal PainUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
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