scholarly journals Neural mechanisms underlying regulation of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others' pain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yu ◽  
Shihui Han
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Altruistic Behavior ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Subjective Estimation ◽  
Show Evidence

Perceived cues signaling others' pain induce empathy that in turn motivates altruistic behavior toward those who appear suffering. This perception-emotion-behavior reactivity is the core of human altruism but does not always occur in real life situations. Here, by integrating behavioral and multimodal neuroimaging measures, we investigate neural mechanisms underlying the functional role of beliefs of others' pain in modulating empathy and altruism. We show evidence that decreasing (or enhancing) beliefs of others' pain reduces (or increases) subjective estimation of others' painful emotional states and monetary donations to those who show pain expressions. Moreover, decreasing beliefs of others' pain attenuates neural responses to perceived cues signaling others' pain within 200 ms after stimulus onset and modulate neural responses to others' pain in the frontal cortices and temporoparietal junction. Our findings highlight beliefs of others' pain as a fundamental cognitive basis of human empathy and altruism and unravel the intermediate neural architecture.

scholarly journals Neural mechanisms of modulations of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others' pain

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yu ◽  
Shihui Han
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Altruistic Behavior ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Multimodal Neuroimaging ◽  
The Core ◽  
Subjective Estimation ◽  
Show Evidence

Perceived cues signaling others' pain induce empathy which in turn motivates altruistic behavior toward those who appear suffering. This perception-emotion-behavior reactivity is the core of human altruism but does not always occur in real life situations. Here, by integrating behavioral and multimodal neuroimaging measures, we investigate neural mechanisms underlying modulations of empathy and altruistic behavior by beliefs of others' pain. We show evidence that lack of beliefs of others' pain reduces subjective estimation of others' painful feelings and decreases monetary donations to those who show pain expressions. Moreover, lack of beliefs of others' pain attenuates neural responses to their pain expressions within 200 ms after face onset and modulates neural responses to others' pain in the insular, post-central, and frontal cortices. Our findings suggest that beliefs of others’ pain provide a cognitive basis of human empathy and altruism and unravel the intermediate neural mechanisms.

Emotional Reactivity to Visual Content as Revealed by ERP Component Clustering

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslaw Wyczesany ◽  
Szczepan J. Grzybowski ◽  
Jan Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. In the study, the neural basis of emotional reactivity was investigated. Reactivity was operationalized as the impact of emotional pictures on the self-reported ongoing affective state. It was used to divide the subjects into high- and low-responders groups. Independent sources of brain activity were identified, localized with the DIPFIT method, and clustered across subjects to analyse the visual evoked potentials to affective pictures. Four of the identified clusters revealed effects of reactivity. The earliest two started about 120 ms from the stimulus onset and were located in the occipital lobe and the right temporoparietal junction. Another two with a latency of 200 ms were found in the orbitofrontal and the right dorsolateral cortices. Additionally, differences in pre-stimulus alpha level over the visual cortex were observed between the groups. The attentional modulation of perceptual processes is proposed as an early source of emotional reactivity, which forms an automatic mechanism of affective control. The role of top-down processes in affective appraisal and, finally, the experience of ongoing emotional states is also discussed.

scholarly journals In exogenous attention, time is the clue: brain and heart interactions to survive threatening stimuli

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Ruiz-Padial ◽  
Francisco Mercado
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Exogenous Attention ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Negative Stimuli

AbstractThe capture of exogenous attention by negative stimuli has been interpreted as adaptive for survival in a diverse and changing environment. In the present paper, we investigate the neural responses towards two discrete negative emotions with different biological meanings, disgust and fear, and its potential relationships with heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of emotional regulation. With that aim, 30 participants performed a digit categorization task while fear, disgust and neutral distractor pictures were presented. Resting HRV at baseline, behavioral responses, and event-related potentials were recorded. Whereas P1 amplitudes were highest to fear distractors, the disgust stimulation led to augmented P2 amplitudes compared to the rest of distractors. Interestingly, increased N2 amplitudes were also found to disgust distractors, but only in high HRV participants. Neural source estimation data point to the involvement of the insula in this exogenous attentional response to disgust. Additionally, disgust distractors provoked longer reaction times than fear and neutral distractors in the high HRV group. Present findings are interpreted in evolutionary terms suggesting that exogenous attention is captured by negative stimuli following a different time course for fear and disgust. Possible HRV influences on neural mechanisms underlying exogenous attention are discussed considering the potential important role of this variable in emotional regulation processes.

scholarly journals Neural Responses of Benefiting From the Prosocial Exchange: The Effect of Helping Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Olivo ◽  
Andrea Di Ciano ◽  
Jessica Mauro ◽  
Lucia Giudetti ◽  
Alan Pampallona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Temporal Pole ◽  
Visual Cortices

Prosocial behavior is critical for the natural development of an individual as well as for promoting social relationships. Although this complex behavior results from gratuitous acts occurring between an agent and a recipient and a wealth of literature on prosocial behavior has investigated these actions, little is known about the effects on the recipient and the neurobiology underlying them. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify neural correlates of receiving prosocial behavior in the context of real-world experiences, with different types of action provided by the agent, including practical help and effort appreciation. Practical help was associated with increased activation in a network of regions spanning across bilateral superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction, temporal pole, and medial prefrontal cortex. Effort appreciation was associated with activation and increased task-modulated connectivity of the occipital cortex. Prosocial-dependent brain responses were associated with positive affect. Our results support the role of the theory of mind network and the visual cortices in mediating the positive effects of receiving gratuitous help. Moreover, they indicate that specific types of prosocial behavior are mediated by distinct brain networks, which further demonstrates the uniqueness of the psychological processes underlying prosocial actions.

scholarly journals Magnetoencephalographic Signals Identify Stages in Real-Life Decision Processes

2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Braeutigam ◽  
John F. Stins ◽  
Steven P. R. Rose ◽  
Stephen J. Swithenby ◽  
Tim Ambler
Keyword(s):  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Brand Choice ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Motor Speech ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Shopping Experience ◽  
Life Decision ◽  
High Salience

We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study the dynamics of neural responses in eight subjects engaged in shopping for day-to-day items from supermarket shelves. This behavior not only has personal and economic importance but also provides an example of an experience that is both personal and shared between individuals. The shopping experience enables the exploration of neural mechanisms underlying choice based on complex memories. Choosing among different brands of closely related products activated a robust sequence of signals within the first second after the presentation of the choice images. This sequence engaged first the visual cortex (80-100 ms), then as the images were analyzed, predominantly the left temporal regions (310-340 ms). At longer latency, characteristic neural activetion was found in motor speech areas (500-520 ms) for images requiring low salience choices with respect to previous (brand) memory, and in right parietal cortex for high salience choices (850-920 ms). We argue that the neural processes associated with the particular brand-choice stimulus can be separated into identifiable stages through observation of MEG responses and knowledge of functional anatomy.

scholarly journals In exogenous attention, time is the clue: Brain and heart interactions to survive threatening stimuli

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0243117
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Ruiz-Padial ◽  
Francisco Mercado
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Exogenous Attention ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Negative Stimuli

The capture of exogenous attention by negative stimuli has been interpreted as adaptive for survival in a diverse and changing environment. In the present paper, we investigate the neural responses towards two discrete negative emotions with different biological meanings, disgust and fear, and its potential relationships with heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of emotional regulation. With that aim, 30 participants performed a digit categorization task while fear, disgust and neutral distractor pictures were presented. Resting HRV at baseline, behavioral responses, and event-related potentials were recorded. Whereas P1 amplitudes were highest to fear distractors, the disgust stimulation led to augmented P2 amplitudes compared to the rest of distractors. Interestingly, increased N2 amplitudes were also found to disgust distractors, but only in high HRV participants. Neural source estimation data point to the involvement of the insula in this exogenous attentional response to disgust. Additionally, disgust distractors provoked longer reaction times than fear and neutral distractors in the high HRV group. Present findings are interpreted in evolutionary terms suggesting that exogenous attention is captured by negative stimuli following a different time course for fear and disgust. Possible HRV influences on neural mechanisms underlying exogenous attention are discussed considering the potential important role of this variable in emotional regulation processes.

scholarly journals The role of the amygdala in naturalistic mentalising in typical development and in autism spectrum disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 208 (6) ◽  
pp. 556-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Rosenblau ◽  
Dorit Kliemann ◽  
Benjamin Lemme ◽  
Henrik Walter ◽  
Hauke R. Heekeren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Amygdala Activity

BackgroundThe substantial discrepancy between mentalising in experimental settings v. real-life social interactions hinders the understanding of the neural basis of real-life social cognition and of social impairments in psychiatric disorders.AimsTo determine the neural mechanisms underlying naturalistic mentalising in individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder.MethodWe investigated mentalising with a new video-based functional magnetic resonance imaging task in 20 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and 22 matched healthy controls.ResultsNaturalistic mentalising implicated regions of the traditional mentalising network (medial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction), and additionally the insula and amygdala. Moreover, amygdala activity predicted implicit mentalising performance on an independent behavioural task. Compared with controls, the autism spectrum disorder group did not show differences in neural activity within classical mentalising regions. They did, however, show reduced amygdala activity and a reduced correlation between amygdala activity and mentalising accuracy on the behavioural task, compared with controls.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the crucial role of the amygdala in making accurate implicit mental state inferences in typical development and in the social cognitive impairments of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

scholarly journals Increased insula activity precedes the formation of subjective Gestalt

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilena Wilding ◽  
Christof Koerner ◽  
Anja Ischebeck ◽  
Natalia Zaretskaya
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Input ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Superior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
Rare Opportunity

The constructive nature of human perception sometimes leads us to perceiving rather complex impressions from simple sensory input. Bistable stimuli give us a rare opportunity to study the neural mechanisms behind this process. Such stimuli can be visually interpreted as simple or as more complex on the basis of the same sensory input. Previous studies demonstrated increased activity in the superior parietal cortex when participants perceived an illusory Gestalt impression compared to a simpler interpretation of individual elements. Here we tested whether activity related to the illusory Gestalt can be detected not only during, but also prior to it, by examining the slow fluctuations of resting-state-fMRI activity before the stimulus onset. We presented 31 participants with a bistable motion stimulus, which can be perceived either as four moving dot pairs (local) or two moving illusory squares (global). This allowed us to isolate the specific neural mechanisms that accompany the experience of an illusion under matched sensory input. fMRI was used to measure brain activity in a sparse event-related design. We observed stronger IPS and putamen responses to the stimulus when participants perceived the global interpretation compared to local, confirming the previously reported role of these areas in perceptual grouping. Most importantly, we also observed that the global stimulus interpretation was preceded by an increased activity of the bilateral dorsal insula, which is known to process saliency and gate information for conscious access. Our data suggest an important role of the dorsal insula in shaping an internally generated illusory Gestalt percept.

Neuropsychology in the Real World

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Peper ◽  
Simone N. Loeffler
Keyword(s):  
Neuropsychological Assessment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Life Data ◽  
Real Life Data ◽  
Assessment And Treatment

Current ambulatory technologies are highly relevant for neuropsychological assessment and treatment as they provide a gateway to real life data. Ambulatory assessment of cognitive complaints, skills and emotional states in natural contexts provides information that has a greater ecological validity than traditional assessment approaches. This issue presents an overview of current technological and methodological innovations, opportunities, problems and limitations of these methods designed for the context-sensitive measurement of cognitive, emotional and behavioral function. The usefulness of selected ambulatory approaches is demonstrated and their relevance for an ecologically valid neuropsychology is highlighted.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document