The Neural Substrate of Human Empathy: Effects of Perspective-taking and Cognitive Appraisal

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Lamm ◽  
C. Daniel Batson ◽  
Jean Decety
Keyword(s):  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Cognitive Appraisal ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
The Right

Whether observation of distress in others leads to empathic concern and altruistic motivation, or to personal distress and egoistic motivation, seems to depend upon the capacity for self-other differentiation and cognitive appraisal. In this experiment, behavioral measures and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging were used to investigate the effects of perspective-taking and cognitive appraisal while participants observed the facial expression of pain resulting from medical treatment. Video clips showing the faces of patients were presented either with the instruction to imagine the feelings of the patient (“imagine other”) or to imagine oneself to be in the patient's situation (“imagine self”). Cognitive appraisal was manipulated by providing information that the medical treatment had or had not been successful. Behavioral measures demonstrated that perspective-taking and treatment effectiveness instructions affected participants' affective responses to the observed pain. Hemodynamic changes were detected in the insular cortices, anterior medial cingulate cortex (aMCC), amygdala, and in visual areas including the fusiform gyrus. Graded responses related to the perspective-taking instructions were observed in middle insula, aMCC, medial and lateral premotor areas, and selectively in left and right parietal cortices. Treatment effectiveness resulted in signal changes in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, in the ventromedial orbito-frontal cortex, in the right lateral middle frontal gyrus, and in the cerebellum. These findings support the view that humans' responses to the pain of others can be modulated by cognitive and motivational processes, which influence whether observing a conspecific in need of help will result in empathic concern, an important instigator for helping behavior.

scholarly journals Cerebral Activity Changes in Different Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns of Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction Patients

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Liu ◽  
Peihai Zhang ◽  
Junjie Pan ◽  
Zhengjie Li ◽  
Jixin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Erectile Dysfunction ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Cerebral Activity ◽  
The Right

Background.Pattern differentiation is the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). This study aims to investigate the differences in cerebral activity in ED patients with different TCM patterns.Methods.27 psychogenic ED patients and 27 healthy subjects (HS) were enrolled in this study. Each participant underwent an fMRI scan in resting state. The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) was used to detect the brain activity changes in ED patients with different patterns.Results.Compared to HS, ED patients showed an increased cerebral activity in bilateral cerebellum, insula, globus pallidus, parahippocampal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and middle cingulate cortex (MCC). Compared to the patients with liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency pattern (LSSDP), the patients with kidney-yang deficiency pattern (KDP) showed an increased activity in bilateral brainstem, cerebellum, hippocampus, and the right insula, thalamus, MCC, and a decreased activity in bilateral putamen, medial frontal gyrus, temporal pole, and the right caudate nucleus, OFC, anterior cingulate cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex (P<0.005).Conclusions.The ED patients with different TCM patterns showed different brain activities. The differences in cerebral activity between LSSDP and KDP were mainly in the emotion-related regions, including prefrontal cortex and cingulated cortex.

scholarly journals Reduced Cortical Complexity in Cirrhotic Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiu-Feng Chen ◽  
Xiao-Hong Zhang ◽  
Tian-Xiu Zou ◽  
Nao-Xin Huang ◽  
Hua-Jun Chen
Keyword(s):  
Hepatic Encephalopathy ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Psychiatric Disease ◽  
Cirrhotic Patients ◽  
The Right

Purpose. Gray matter volume loss, regional cortical thinning, and local gyrification index alteration have been documented in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Fractal dimension (FD), another morphological parameter, has been widely used to describe structural complexity alterations in neurological or psychiatric disease. Here, we conducted the first study to investigate FD alterations in MHE. Methods and Materials. We performed high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging on cirrhotic patients with MHE (n=20) and healthy controls (n=21). We evaluated their cognitive performance using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES). The regional FD value was calculated by Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) and compared between groups. We further estimated the association between patients’ cognitive performance and FD values. Results. MHE patients presented significantly decreased FD values in the left precuneus, left supramarginal gyrus, right caudal anterior cingulate cortex, right isthmus cingulate cortex, right insula, bilateral pericalcarine cortex, and bilateral paracentral cortex compared to normal controls. In addition, the FD values in the right isthmus cingulate cortex and right insula were shown to be positively correlated with patients’ cognitive performance. Conclusion. Aberrant cortical complexity is an additional characteristic of MHE, and FD analysis may provide novel insight into the neurobiological basis of cognitive dysfunction in MHE.

Anatomy of Motor Learning. I. Frontal Cortex and Attention to Action

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1313-1324 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jueptner ◽  
K. M. Stephan ◽  
C. D. Frith ◽  
D. J. Brooks ◽  
R.S.J. Frackowiak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Critical Feature ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
New Learning ◽  
The Right

Jueptner, M., K. M. Stephan, C. D. Frith, D. J. Brooks, R.S.J. Frackowiak, and R. E. Passingham. Anatomy of motor learning. I. Frontal cortex and attention to action. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 1313–1324, 1997. We used positron emission tomography to study new learning and automatic performance in normal volunteers. Subjects learned sequences of eight finger movements by trial and error. In a previous experiment we showed that the prefrontal cortex was activated during new learning but not during automatic performance. The aim of the present experiment was to see what areas could be reactivated if the subjects performed the prelearned sequence but were required to pay attention to what they were doing. Scans were carried out under four conditions. In the first the subjects performed a prelearned sequence of eight key presses; this sequence was learned before scanning and was practiced until it had become overlearned, so that the subjects were able to perform it automatically. In the second condition the subjects learned a new sequence during scanning. In a third condition the subjects performed the prelearned sequence, but they were required to attend to what they were doing; they were instructed to think about the next movement. The fourth condition was a baseline condition. As in the earlier study, the dorsal prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate area 32 were activated during new learning, but not during automatic performance. The left dorsal prefrontal cortex and the right anterior cingulate cortex were reactivated when subjects paid attention to the performance of the prelearned sequence compared with automatic performance of the same task. It is suggested that the critical feature was that the subjects were required to attend to the preparation of their responses. However, the dorsal prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex were activated more when the subjects learned a new sequence than they were when subjects simply paid attention to a prelearned sequence. New learning differs from the attention condition in that the subjects generated moves, monitored the outcomes, and remembered the responses that had been successful. All these are nonroutine operations to which the subjects must attend. Further analysis is needed to specify which are the nonroutine operations that require the involvement of the dorsal prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex.

Helping behavior induced by empathic concern attenuates anterior cingulate activation in response to others’ distress

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Kawamichi ◽  
Kazufumi Yoshihara ◽  
Sho K. Sugawara ◽  
Masahiro Matsunaga ◽  
Kai Makita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Anterior Cingulate

scholarly journals Increased activation of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex to citalopram challenge in migraine: an fMRI study

BMC Neurology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Edit Edes ◽  
Shane McKie ◽  
Edina Szabo ◽  
Gyongyi Kokonyei ◽  
Dorottya Pap ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Brain Area ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Acute Increase ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a key structure of the pain processing network. Several structural and functional alterations of this brain area have been found in migraine. In addition, altered serotonergic neurotransmission has been repeatedly implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine, although the exact mechanism is not known. Thus, our aim was to investigate the relationship between acute increase of brain serotonin (5-HT) level and the activation changes of the ACC using pharmacological challenge MRI (phMRI) in migraine patients and healthy controls. Methods Twenty-seven pain-free healthy controls and six migraine without aura patients participated in the study. All participant attended to two phMRI sessions during which intravenous citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), or placebo (normal saline) was administered. We used region of interest analysis of ACC to compere the citalopram evoked activation changes of this area between patients and healthy participants. Results Significant difference in ACC activation was found between control and patient groups in the right pregenual ACC (pgACC) during and after citalopram infusion compared to placebo. The extracted time-series showed that pgACC activation increased in migraine patients compared to controls, especially in the first 8–10 min of citalopram infusion. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that a small increase in 5-HT levels can lead to increased phMRI signal in the pregenual part of the ACC that is involved in processing emotional aspects of pain. This increased sensitivity of the pgACC to increased 5-HT in migraine may contribute to recurring headache attacks and increased stress-sensitivity in migraine.

Decreased cerebral blood flow of the right anterior cingulate cortex in long-term and short-term abstinent methamphetamine users☆

2006 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaeuk Hwang ◽  
In Kyoon Lyoo ◽  
Seog Ju Kim ◽  
Young Hoon Sung ◽  
Soojeong Bae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Right

scholarly journals Anterior cingulate cortex connectivity is associated with suppression of behaviour in a rat model of chronic pain

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 239821281877964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel S. Morris ◽  
Christian Sprenger ◽  
Ken Koda ◽  
Daniela M. de la Mora ◽  
Tomomi Yamada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Persistent Pain ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Motivational Aspect ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Burrowing Behaviour ◽  
The Right

A cardinal feature of persistent pain that follows injury is a general suppression of behaviour, in which motivation is inhibited in a way that promotes energy conservation and recuperation. Across species, the anterior cingulate cortex is associated with the motivational aspects of phasic pain, but whether it mediates motivational functions in persistent pain is less clear. Using burrowing behaviour as an marker of non-specific motivated behaviour in rodents, we studied the suppression of burrowing following painful confirmatory factor analysis or control injection into the right knee joint of 30 rats (14 with pain) and examined associated neural connectivity with ultra-high-field resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found that connectivity between anterior cingulate cortex and subcortical structures including hypothalamic/preoptic nuclei and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis correlated with the reduction in burrowing behaviour observed following the pain manipulation. In summary, the findings implicate anterior cingulate cortex connectivity as a correlate of the motivational aspect of persistent pain in rodents.

Functional MRI correlates of the recall of unresolved life events in borderline personality disorder

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 845-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
THOMAS BEBLO ◽  
MARTIN DRIESSEN ◽  
MARKUS MERTENS ◽  
KATJA WINGENFELD ◽  
MARTINA PIEFKE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
The Right

Background. Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently report unresolved life events but it is still poorly understood, how these experiences are represented in the brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the present study aimed at investigating the neural correlates of the recall of unresolved life events in patients with BPD and healthy controls.Method. Twenty female BPD patients and 21 healthy control subjects underwent fMRI. During measurement subjects recalled unresolved and resolved negative life events. Individual cue words were used to stimulate autobiographical memory. After scanning, subjects rated their emotional states during the recall of both types of memories.Results. When contrasting unresolved and resolved life events, patients showed significant bilateral activation of frontotemporal areas including the insula, amygdala, and the anterior cingulate cortex, the left posterior cingulate cortex, right occipital cortex, the bilateral cerebellum and the midbrain. In healthy subjects, no differential brain activation was related to these conditions. The 2×2 factorial analysis (ΔBPD−Δcontrols) revealed similar results with bilateral activation of the frontal cortex including parts of the insula and of the orbitofrontal cortex, temporal activation including the amygdala, activation of the right occipital cortex, and parts of the cerebellum. Patients but not controls reported higher levels of anxiety and helplessness during the unresolved versus resolved memory condition.Conclusions. The activation of both, the amygdala and prefrontal areas, might reflect an increased effortful but insufficient attempt to control intensive emotions during the recall of unresolved life events in patients with BPD.

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