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Rodríguez-Nieto G, Mercadillo RE, Pasaye EH, Barrios FA. Affective and cognitive brain-networks are differently integrated in women and men while experiencing compassion. Front Psychol 2022; 13:992935. [PMID: 36176793 PMCID: PMC9513369 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Different theoretical models have proposed cognitive and affective components in empathy and moral judgments encompassing compassion. Furthermore, gender differences in psychological and neural functions involving empathic and moral processing, as well as compassionate experiences, have been reported. However, the neurobiological function regarding affective and cognitive integration underlying compassion and gender-associated differences has not been investigated. In this study, we aimed to examine the interaction between cognitive and emotional components through functional connectivity analyzes and to explore gender differences for the recruitment and interaction of these components. Thirty-six healthy participants (21–56 years; 21 women) were exposed to social images in an fMRI session to judge whether the stimuli elicited compassion. The results showed a different connectivity pattern for women and men of the insular cortex, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and the cingulate cortex. The integration of affective and cognitive components follows a complex functional connectivity pattern that is different for both genders. These differences may indicate that men largely make compassionate judgments based on contextual information, while women tend to notably take internal and introspective processes into account. Women and men can use different affective and cognitive routes that could converge in similar learning of moral values, empathic experiences and compassionate acts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Rodríguez-Nieto
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roberto E. Mercadillo
- Unidad Iztapalapa, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México City, Mexico
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, México City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Roberto E. Mercadillo, ,
| | - Erick H. Pasaye
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Queretaro, Mexico
| | - Fernando A. Barrios
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Queretaro, Mexico
- Fernando A. Barrios,
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Contreras A, Ramirez-Garcia G, Chirino A, Morgado-Valle C, Pasaye EH, Hernandez-Castillo C, Díaz R, Fernandez-Ruiz J, Beltran-Parrazal L. Longitudinal Analysis of the Relation Between Clinical Impairment and Gray Matter Degeneration in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 Patients. THE CEREBELLUM 2020; 20:346-360. [PMID: 33184781 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-020-01205-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive ataxia and retinal degeneration. Previous cross-sectional studies show a significant decrease in the gray matter of the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem. However, there are no longitudinal studies in SCA7 analyzing whole-brain degeneration and its relation to clinical decline. To perform a 2-year longitudinal characterization of the whole-brain degeneration and clinical decline in SCA7, twenty patients underwent MRI and clinical evaluations at baseline. Fourteen completed the 2-year follow-up study. A healthy-matched control group was also included. Imaging analyses included volumetric and cortical thickness evaluation. We measured the cognitive deterioration in SCA7 patients using MoCA test and the motor deterioration using the SARA score. We found statistically significant differences in the follow-up compared to baseline. Imaging analyses showed that SCA7 patients had severe cerebellar and pontine degeneration compared with the control group. Longitudinal follow-up imaging analyses of SCA7 patients showed the largest atrophy in the medial temporal lobe without signs of a progression of cerebellar and pontine atrophy. Effect size analyses showed that MRI longitudinal analysis has the largest effect size followed by the SARA scale and MoCA test. Here, we report that it is possible to detect significant brain atrophy and motor and cognitive clinical decline in a 2-year follow-up study of SCA7 patients. Our results support the hypothesis that longitudinal analysis of structural MRI and MOCA tests are plausible clinical markers to study the natural history of the disease and to design treatment trials in ecologically valid contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anabel Contreras
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Berlin 7, Fracc. Monte Magno, C.P. 91193, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Gabriel Ramirez-Garcia
- Unidad Periférica de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "Manuel Velasco Suárez", Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Amanda Chirino
- Laboratorio de Neuropsicología, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Consuelo Morgado-Valle
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Berlin 7, Fracc. Monte Magno, C.P. 91193, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Erick H Pasaye
- Magnetic Resonance Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | | | - Rosalinda Díaz
- Laboratorio de Neuropsicología, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan Fernandez-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Neuropsicología, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Mexico City, Mexico. .,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Luis Beltran-Parrazal
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Berlin 7, Fracc. Monte Magno, C.P. 91193, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
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