1,721,000 research outputs found
The Neural Bases for Empathy
No full text Human empathy relies on the ability to share emotions as well as the ability to understand the other’s thoughts, desires, and feelings. Recent evidence points to 2 separate systems for empathy: an emotional system that supports our ability to empathize emotionally and a cognitive system that involves cognitive understanding of the other’s perspective. Converging evidence from neuroimaging and lesion studies shows that a neural network that includes the inferior frontal gyrus and the inferior parietal lobule is necessary for emotion recognition and emotional contagion. On the other hand, the involvement of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, and the medial temporal lobe in self-reflection and autobiographical memory places these key regions as necessary for cognitive empathy. The proposed dissociation between these systems is supported by recent neurochemical experiments involving administration of oxytocin as well as by ethological, psychiatric, and developmental studies. Finally, although the emotional and cognitive systems appear to work independently, every empathic response may still evoke both components to some extent, depending on the social context. </jats:p
Two systems for empathy: a double dissociation between emotional and cognitive empathy in inferior frontal gyrus versus ventromedial prefrontal lesions
Get PDFRecent evidence suggests that there are two possible systems for empathy: a basic emotional contagion system and a more advanced cognitive perspective-taking system. However, it is not clear whether these two systems are part of a single interacting empathy system or whether they are independent. Additionally, the neuroanatomical bases of these systems are largely unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that emotional empathic abilities (involving the mirror neuron system) are distinct from those related to cognitive empathy and that the two depend on separate anatomical substrates. Subjects with lesions in the ventromedial prefrontal (VM) or inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) cortices and two control groups were assessed with measures of empathy that incorporate both cognitive and affective dimensions. The findings reveal a remarkable behavioural and anatomic double dissociation between deficits in cognitive empathy (VM) and emotional empathy (IFG). Furthermore, precise anatomical mapping of lesions revealed Brodmann area 44 to be critical for emotional empathy while areas 11 and 10 were found necessary for cognitive empathy. These findings are consistent with these cortices being different in terms of synaptic hierarchy and phylogenetic age. The pattern of empathy deficits among patients with VM and IFG lesions represents a first direct evidence of a double dissociation between emotional and cognitive empathy using the lesion method. Keywords: Emotional empathy; cognitive empathy; mirror neurons; inferior frontal gyrus; ventromedial prefrontal cortex Abbreviations: ANOVA = analysis of variance; BA = Brodmann area; EC = empathic concern scale; FS = fantasy scale; HC = healthy control; IFG = inferior frontal gyrus; IRI = Interpersonal Reactivity Index; MNS = mirror neuron system; PC = posterior lesion; PD = personal distress scale; PT = perspective-taking scale; ToM = Theory of Mind; VM = ventromedial prefrontal; WCST = Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Preliminary evidence of olfactory signals of women’s fertility increasing social avoidance behavior towards women in pair-bonded men
No full textAbstractPrevious studies suggest that women’s body odor is perceived as more attractive during ovulation and that exposure to women’s chemical signals of high fertility leads to increased mating motivation. Given that pair-bonded men react differently than single men to unfamiliar women, we investigated whether women’s chemical signals of fertility influence approach behavior among pair-bonded and single men. In the first experiment, men performed the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance task while exposed to body odor samples from women who were ovulating and from the same women during their luteal phase. We found that in the presence of the body odor from ovulation, pair-bonded, but not single men, maintained greater distance from different protagonists, particularly from women. In a second experiment we exposed men to women’s body odors while they rated the attractiveness and beauty of women’s faces. Although the ratings of women’s beauty did not differ across odor conditions, when the pair-bonded men were exposed to the high fertility odor they rated highly attractive women as less sexually attractive. The results suggest that exposure to fertility cues from unfamiliar women may trigger social avoidance in pair-bonded men, an outcome that may result from identifying such cues as threats to their relationship.</jats:p
Don't touch me! autistic traits modulate early and late ERP components during visual perception of social touch
No full textHyperscanning: from inter-brain coupling to causality
Get PDFIn hyperscanning studies, participants perform a joint task while their brain activation is simultaneously recorded. Evidence of inter-brain coupling is examined, in these studies, as a predictor of behavioral change. While the field of hyperscanning has made significant strides in unraveling the associations between inter-brain coupling and changes in social interactions, drawing causal conclusions between brain and behavior remains challenging. This difficulty arises from factors like the inherently different timescales of behavioral responses and measured cerebral activity, as well as the predominant focus of existing methods on associations rather than causality. Specifically, a question remains as to whether inter-brain coupling between specific brain regions leads to changes in behavioral synchrony, or vice-versa. We propose two novel approaches to addressing this question. The first method involves using dyadic neurofeedback, wherein instances of inter-brain coupling are directly reinforced. Such a system could examine if continuous changes of inter-brain coupling are the result of deliberate mutual attempts to synchronize. The second method employs statistical approaches, including Granger causality and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Granger causality assesses the predictive influence of one time series on another, enabling the identification of directional neural interactions that drive behavior. SEM allows for detailed modeling of both direct and indirect effects of inter-brain coupling on behavior. We provide an example of data analysis with the SEM approach, discuss the advantages and limitations of each approach and posit that applying these approaches could provide significant insights into how inter-brain coupling supports crucial processes that occur in social interactions
- …
