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Robinson TJ, Brown X, Hackathorn J. The name's bond. parasocial bond: imagined interactions and state-level empathy. THE JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024:1-8. [PMID: 38825864 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2024.2360466] [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: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Empathy, whether state or trait, is an individual's ability to adopt another's perspective, feel another's feelings, or identify with another's situation (Campbell & Babrow, 2004; Davis, 1983; Nezlek etal., 2007). Research reliably shows relationships between empathy and parasocial interactions (e.g. psychological engagements with fictional characters; Giles, 2002; Tsao, 1996; Zillmann, 1994). The current study sought to identify the relationship between the type of parasocial interactions and subsequent changes in state-level empathy via an experimental design. Results indicate state-level empathy changes are contingent upon valence (i.e. Favorite vs. Least Favorite) and status (i.e. Real vs. Parasocial) of the imagined interaction.
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Cheang RT, Skjevling M, Blakemore AI, Kumari V, Puzzo I. Do you feel me? Autism, empathic accuracy and the double empathy problem. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024:13623613241252320. [PMID: 38757626 DOI: 10.1177/13623613241252320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT The assumption that autistic people lack empathy, particularly imagining how others feel, has been much debated and is now being challenged by an alternative view: the 'double empathy problem'. This suggests that non-autistic people may find it equally difficult to imagine how autistic people feel. Although this perspective is gaining popularity, research testing whether non-autistic people can accurately imagine and feel an autistic person's emotions is still limited. Our study used video clips of autistic and non-autistic people recounting emotional events to test if participants from the general population could: track the intensity of the narrators' emotions; name and feel the same emotion; match where the narrator felt the emotion and indicate how intensely they felt the emotion using a body map. Our results show that participants found it significantly harder to track autistic narrators' emotions compared to non-autistic narrator's emotions, especially when viewing clips of narrators feeling happy and sad. We also found that participants felt emotions more intensely in the body when viewing clips of autistic narrators compared to non-autistic narrators, especially when describing anger and fear. These findings support the double empathy problem and have strong implications for therapeutic and interpersonal relationships with autistic people.
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Msika EF, Despres M, Piolino P, Narme P. Dynamic and/or multimodal assessments for social cognition in neuropsychology: Results from a systematic literature review. Clin Neuropsychol 2024; 38:922-962. [PMID: 37904259 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2023.2266172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Despite the prevalence of socio-cognitive disturbances, and their important diagnostic/therapeutic implications, the assessment of these disturbances remains scarce. This systematic review aims to identify available social cognition tools for adult assessment that use multimodal and/or dynamic social cues, specifying their strengths and limitations (e.g. from a methodological, psychometric, ecological, and clinical perspective). Method: An electronic search was conducted in Pubmed, PsychINFO, Embase and Scopus databases for articles published up to the 3th of January 2023 and the first 200 Google Scholar results on the same date. The PRISMA methodology was applied, 3884 studies were screened based on title and abstract and 329 full texts were screened. Articles using pseudo-dynamic methodologies (e.g. morphing), reported only subjective or self-reported measures, or investigated only physiological or brain activity responses were excluded. Results: In total, 149 works were included in this review, representing 65 assessment tools (i.e. 48% studying emotion recognition (n = 31), 32% Theory of Mind (n = 21), 5% empathy (n = 3), 1.5% moral cognition/social reasoning (n = 1), and 14% being multimodal (n = 9)). For each study, the tool's main characteristics, psychometric properties, ecological validity indicators and available norms are reported. The tools are presented according to social-cognitive process assessed and communication channels used. Conclusions: This study highlights the lack of validated and standardized tools. A few tools appear to partially meet some clinical needs. The development of methodologies using a first-person paradigm and taking into account the multidimensional nature of social cognition seems a relevant research endeavour for greater ecological validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Flore Msika
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Mathilde Despres
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Pascale Piolino
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Pauline Narme
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
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Lin T, Simon JC, Gutsell JN. The Association Between Emotional Expressions and Empathic Accuracy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3858053. [PMID: 38313281 PMCID: PMC10836092 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3858053/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Empathic accuracy, the ability to accurately represent and understand another's emotional state, is integral to socio-emotional functioning. It is also inherently an interpersonal process that requires active engagement of the emotional systems of both interaction partners. The emotional expressivity of the partner sharing their emotions restricts empathic accuracy and the perceiver's emotional expressivity might also affect empathic accuracy as they behaviorally simulate and thus share the emotions they see in the other's face. We explored a potential role of emotional expressivity in people's ability to understand another's emotions in a face-to-face dyadic interaction. Participants took turns sharing emotional experiences while their facial expressions were recorded. They then watched the recordings while continuously rating their own and their partner's affect at any given point during the recording. Empathic accuracy was indexed as the epoch by-epoch emotion change detection. We found that emotional expressivity of the listener, but not of the partner, was associated with increased empathic accuracy, even when controlling for partner's expressivity. Our findings highlight the active role the person empathizing takes in face-to-face emotional sharing.
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Sinha P, Mehta UM, S.N. A, Srivastava P. Empathic Accuracy Task: Indian Adaptation and Validation. Indian J Psychol Med 2023; 45:486-495. [PMID: 37772149 PMCID: PMC10523519 DOI: 10.1177/02537176221141583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Empathic Accuracy Task (EAT) is an objective measure to assess empathic accuracy. Due to the variability in the number and linked emotions of the narrated events, we adapted EAT for the Indian sociocultural setting as Indian EAT (I-EAT). Methods Eight videos were adapted in three languages (English, Hindi, and Kannada), narrating emotional events with a uniform representation of age groups, different emotions, and sex. The adapted I-EAT was then validated by cross-sectional comparison with different tests similar to EAT and those that assessed concepts different from or similar to empathy, in 29 healthy young adults, 23 healthy older adults (aged ≥60 years) along with clinical groups of 15 young people with depression, 15 older people with depression, and 15 young people with schizophrenia. Results We selected eight videos with good content validity and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73. We obtained satisfactory concurrent validity of the EAT scores with the self-reported empathic assessments using the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (Cognitive empathy score = 0.29, p = .034; Total score = 0.29, p = .035) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Empathic concern score = 0.45, p = .001). Good divergent validity was revealed in the high inverse correlation recorded with the Apathy Evaluation Scale ( = -0.67, p < .001). I-EAT did not correlate significantly with measures of social cognition. Known-groups validity was adequate in young adults with the significantly lower EAT scores (Cohen's d: 0.77 to 1.15) in the Schizophrenia group and higher EAT-N scores (Cohen's d: 0.51) in the Depression group, compared to the Healthy group. The Healthy group of the geriatric population also achieved significantly higher EAT scores (Cohen's d: 0.71 to 0.85) than the Depression group. Conclusion With a good validity and internal consistency, I-EAT can be used in the Indian population to assess empathic accuracy without compromising performance of the original EAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Sinha
- Dept. of Psychiatry, National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka,
India
| | - Urvakhsh M. Mehta
- Dept. of Psychiatry, National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka,
India
| | - Anuradha S.N.
- Dept. of Psychiatry, National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka,
India
- Dept. of Psychiatry, SDM College of
Medical Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, India
| | - Prerna Srivastava
- Dept. of Psychiatry, National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka,
India
- Dept. of Clinical Psychology,
Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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Sa de Almeida J, Baud O, Fau S, Barcos-Munoz F, Courvoisier S, Lordier L, Lazeyras F, Hüppi PS. Music impacts brain cortical microstructural maturation in very preterm infants: A longitudinal diffusion MR imaging study. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 61:101254. [PMID: 37182337 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth disrupts important neurodevelopmental processes occurring from mid-fetal to term-age. Musicotherapy, by enriching infants' sensory input, might enhance brain maturation during this critical period of activity-dependent plasticity. To study the impact of music on preterm infants' brain structural changes, we recruited 54 very preterm infants randomized to receive or not a daily music intervention, that have undergone a longitudinal multi-shell diffusion MRI acquisition, before the intervention (at 33 weeks' gestational age) and after it (at term-equivalent-age). Using whole-brain fixel-based (FBA) and NODDI analysis (n = 40), we showed a longitudinal increase of fiber cross-section (FC) and fiber density (FD) in all major cerebral white matter fibers. Regarding cortical grey matter, FD decreased while FC and orientation dispersion index (ODI) increased, reflecting intracortical multidirectional complexification and intracortical myelination. The music intervention resulted in a significantly higher longitudinal increase of FC and ODI in cortical paralimbic regions, namely the insulo-orbito-temporopolar complex, precuneus/posterior cingulate gyrus, as well as the auditory association cortex. Our results support a longitudinal early brain macro and microstructural maturation of white and cortical grey matter in preterm infants. The music intervention led to an increased intracortical complexity in regions important for socio-emotional development, known to be impaired in preterm infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Sa de Almeida
- Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Olivier Baud
- Division of Neonatal and Intensive Care, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sebastien Fau
- Division of Neonatal and Intensive Care, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francisca Barcos-Munoz
- Division of Neonatal and Intensive Care, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sebastien Courvoisier
- Center of BioMedical Imaging (CIBM), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lara Lordier
- Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - François Lazeyras
- Center of BioMedical Imaging (CIBM), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Petra S Hüppi
- Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Hudson M, Johnson MI. Definition and attributes of the emotional memory images underlying psychophysiological dis-ease. Front Psychol 2022; 13:947952. [PMID: 36452371 PMCID: PMC9702567 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.947952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previously, we proposed a "Split-second Unlearning" model to explain how emotional memories could be preventing clients from adapting to the stressors of daily living, thus forming a barrier to learning, health and well-being. We suggested that these emotional memories were mental images stored inside the mind as 'emotional memory images' (EMIs). OBJECTIVE To elaborate on the nature of these emotional memory images within the context of split-second learning and unlearning and the broader field of psychoanalysis, to initiate a conversation among scholars concerning the path that future healthcare research, practice, and policy should take. METHOD A narrative review of the attributes of EMIs utilizing relevant and contentious research and/or scholarly publications on the topic, facilitated by observations and approaches used in clinical practice. Results: We propose a refined definition of EMIs as Trauma induced, non-conscious, contiguously formed multimodal mental imagery, which triggers an amnesic, anachronistic, stress response within a split-second. The systematic appraisal of each attribute of an EMI supports the idea that the EMI is distinct from similar entities described in literature, enabling further sophistication of our Split-second Unlearning model of psychophysiological dis-ease. CONCLUSION Exploration of the concept of EMIs provides further insight on mechanisms associated with psychophysiological dis-ease and opportunities for therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark I. Johnson
- Centre for Pain Research, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
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8
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Punzi C, Petti M, Tieri P. Network-based methods for psychometric data of eating disorders: A systematic review. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276341. [PMID: 36315522 PMCID: PMC9621460 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Network science represents a powerful and increasingly promising method for studying complex real-world problems. In the last decade, it has been applied to psychometric data in the attempt to explain psychopathologies as complex systems of causally interconnected symptoms. One category of mental disorders, relevant for their severity, incidence and multifaceted structure, is that of eating disorders (EDs), serious disturbances that negatively affect a person's eating behavior. AIMS We aimed to review the corpus of psychometric network analysis methods by scrutinizing a large sample of network-based studies that exploit psychometric data related to EDs. A particular focus is given to the description of the methodologies for network estimation, network description and network stability analysis providing also a review of the statistical software packages currently used to carry out each phase of the network estimation and analysis workflow. Moreover, we try to highlight aspects with potential clinical impact such as core symptoms, influences of external factors, comorbidities, and related changes in network structure and connectivity across both time and subpopulations. METHODS A systematic search was conducted (February 2022) on three different literature databases to identify 57 relevant research articles. The exclusion criteria comprehended studies not based on psychometric data, studies not using network analysis, studies with different aims or not focused on ED, and review articles. RESULTS Almost all the selected 57 papers employed the same analytical procedures implemented in a collection of R packages specifically designed for psychometric network analysis and are mostly based on cross-sectional data retrieved from structured psychometric questionnaires, with just few exemptions of panel data. Most of them used the same techniques for all phases of their analysis. In particular, a pervasive use of the Gaussian Graphical Model with LASSO regularization was registered for in network estimation step. Among the clinically relevant results, we can include the fact that all papers found strong symptom interconnections between specific and nonspecific ED symptoms, suggesting that both types should therefore be addressed by clinical treatment. CONCLUSIONS We here presented the largest and most comprehensive review to date about psychometric network analysis methods. Although these methods still need solid validation in the clinical setting, they have already been able to show many strengths and important results, as well as great potentials and perspectives, which have been analyzed here to provide suggestions on their use and their possible improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Punzi
- Data Science MSc Program, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Manuela Petti
- DIAG Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Paolo Tieri
- Data Science MSc Program, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- CNR National Research Council, IAC Institute for Applied Computing, Rome, Italy
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is associated with social and criminal transgressions; studies from countries around the world have documented such behavior in persons with this condition. An overview and analysis of social and criminal transgressions in bvFTD and their potential neurobiological mechanisms can provide a window for understanding the relationship of antisocial behavior and the brain. METHODS This review evaluated the literature on the frequency of social and criminal transgressions in bvFTD and the neurobiological disturbances that underlie them. RESULTS There is a high frequency of transgressions among patients with bvFTD due to impairments in neurocognition, such as social perception, behavioral regulation, and theory of mind, and impairments in social emotions, such as self-conscious emotions and empathy. Additionally, there is significant evidence for a specific impairment in an innate sense of morality. Alterations in these neurobiological processes result from predominantly right-hemisphere pathology in frontal (ventromedial, orbitofrontal, inferolateral frontal), anterior temporal (amygdala, temporal pole), limbic (anterior cingulate, amygdala), and insular regions. CONCLUSIONS Overlapping disturbances in neurocognition, social emotions, and moral reasoning result from disease in the mostly mesial and right-sided frontotemporal network necessary for responding emotionally to others and for behavioral control. With increased sophistication in neurobiological interventions, future goals may be the routine evaluation of these processes among individuals with bvFTD who engage in social and criminal transgressions and the targeting of these neurobiological mechanisms with behavioral, pharmacological, and other interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Mendez
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; and Neurology Service, Neurobehavior Unit, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
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Holtmann O, Schloßmacher I, Franz M, Moenig C, Tenberge JG, Preul C, Schwindt W, Bruchmann M, Melzer N, Miltner WHR, Straube T. Effects of emotional valence and intensity on cognitive and affective empathy after insula lesions. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4562-4573. [PMID: 36124830 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac362] [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: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The insula plays a central role in empathy. However, the complex structure of cognitive (CE) and affective empathy (AE) deficits following insular damage is not fully understood. In the present study, patients with insular lesions (n = 20) and demographically matched healthy controls (n = 24) viewed ecologically valid videos that varied in terms of valence and emotional intensity. The videos showed a person (target) narrating a personal life event. In CE conditions, subjects continuously rated the affective state of the target, while in AE conditions, they continuously rated their own affect. Mean squared error (MSE) assessed deviations between subject and target ratings. Patients differed from controls only in negative, low-intensity AE, rating their own affective state less negative than the target. This deficit was not related to trait empathy, neuropsychological or clinical parameters, or laterality of lesion. Empathic functions may be widely spared after insular damage in a naturalistic, dynamic setting, potentially due to the intact interpretation of social context by residual networks outside the lesion. The particular role of the insula in AE for negative states may evolve specifically in situations that bear higher uncertainty pointing to a threshold role of the insula in online ratings of AE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Holtmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, Muenster 48149, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Fliednerstraße 21, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Insa Schloßmacher
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, Muenster 48149, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Fliednerstraße 21, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Marcel Franz
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Constanze Moenig
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University Hospital Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Jan-Gerd Tenberge
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University Hospital Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Christoph Preul
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Jena, Am Klinikum 1, Jena 07747, Germany
| | - Wolfram Schwindt
- Institute of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, Muenster 48149, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Fliednerstraße 21, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Nico Melzer
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University Hospital Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Muenster 48149, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H R Miltner
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 52, Muenster 48149, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Fliednerstraße 21, Muenster 48149, Germany
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11
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Kerr WT, Tatekawa H, Lee JK, Karimi AH, Sreenivasan SS, O'Neill J, Smith JM, Hickman LB, Savic I, Nasrullah N, Espinoza R, Narr K, Salamon N, Beimer NJ, Hadjiiski LM, Eliashiv DS, Stacey WC, Engel J, Feusner JD, Stern JM. Clinical MRI morphological analysis of functional seizures compared to seizure-naïve and psychiatric controls. Epilepsy Behav 2022; 134:108858. [PMID: 35933959 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Functional seizures (FS), also known as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), are physical manifestations of acute or chronic psychological distress. Functional and structural neuroimaging have identified objective signs of this disorder. We evaluated whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) morphometry differed between patients with FS and clinically relevant comparison populations. METHODS Quality-screened clinical-grade MRIs were acquired from 666 patients from 2006 to 2020. Morphometric features were quantified with FreeSurfer v6. Mixed-effects linear regression compared the volume, thickness, and surface area within 201 regions-of-interest for 90 patients with FS, compared to seizure-naïve patients with depression (n = 243), anxiety (n = 68), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD, n = 41), respectively, and to other seizure-naïve controls with similar quality MRIs, accounting for the influence of multiple confounds including depression and anxiety based on chart review. These comparison populations were obtained through review of clinical records plus research studies obtained on similar scanners. RESULTS After Bonferroni-Holm correction, patients with FS compared with seizure-naïve controls exhibited thinner bilateral superior temporal cortex (left 0.053 mm, p = 0.014; right 0.071 mm, p = 0.00006), thicker left lateral occipital cortex (0.052 mm, p = 0.0035), and greater left cerebellar white-matter volume (1085 mm3, p = 0.0065). These findings were not accounted for by lower MRI quality in patients with FS. CONCLUSIONS These results reinforce prior indications of structural neuroimaging correlates of FS and, in particular, distinguish brain morphology in FS from that in depression, anxiety, and OCD. Future work may entail comparisons with other psychiatric disorders including bipolar and schizophrenia, as well as exploration of brain structural heterogeneity within FS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley T Kerr
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Hiroyuki Tatekawa
- Department of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John K Lee
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amir H Karimi
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Siddhika S Sreenivasan
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph O'Neill
- Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jena M Smith
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - L Brian Hickman
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ivanka Savic
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute and Neurology Clinic, Karolinksa University Hospital, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nilab Nasrullah
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute and Neurology Clinic, Karolinksa University Hospital, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Randall Espinoza
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Narr
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Noriko Salamon
- Department of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas J Beimer
- Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lubomir M Hadjiiski
- Department of Radiology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Dawn S Eliashiv
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - William C Stacey
- Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jerome Engel
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jamie D Feusner
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John M Stern
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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12
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Jospe K, Genzer S, Mansano L, Ong D, Zaki J, Soroker N, Perry A. Impaired empathic accuracy following damage to the left hemisphere. Biol Psychol 2022; 172:108380. [PMID: 35714840 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108380] [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: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Failing to understand others accurately can be extremely costly. Unfortunately, events such as strokes can lead to a decline in emotional understanding. Such impairments have been documented in stroke patients and are widely hypothesized to be related to right-hemisphere lesions, as well as to the amygdala, and are thought to be driven in part by attentional biases, for example, less fixation on the eyes. Notably, most of the previous research relied on measurements of emotional understanding from simplified cues, such as facial expressions or prosody. We hypothesize that chronic damage to the left hemisphere could hinder empathic accuracy and emotion recognition in naturalistic social settings that require complex language comprehension, even after a patient regains core language capacities. To assess this notion, we use an empathic accuracy task and eye-tracking measurements with chronic stroke patients with either right (N = 13) or left (N = 11) hemispheric damage-together with aged-matched controls (N = 15)-to explore the patients' understanding of others' affect inferred from stimuli that separates audio and visual cues. While we find that patients with right-hemisphere lesions showed visual attention bias compared to the other two groups, we uncover a disadvantage for patients with left-hemisphere lesions in empathic accuracy, especially when only auditory cues are present. These results suggest that patients with left-hemisphere damage have long-lasting difficulties comprehending real-world complex emotional situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Jospe
- Department of Psychology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Shir Genzer
- Department of Psychology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lihi Mansano
- Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, Raanana, Israel
| | - Desmond Ong
- Department of Information Systems and Analytics, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jamil Zaki
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Nachum Soroker
- Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, Raanana, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Anat Perry
- Department of Psychology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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13
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Arnovitz MD, Spitzberg AJ, Davani AJ, Vadhan NP, Holland J, Kane JM, Michaels TI. MDMA for the Treatment of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11123255. [PMID: 35743326 PMCID: PMC9225098 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11123255] [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: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The profound economic burden of schizophrenia is due, in part, to the negative symptoms of the disease, which can severely limit daily functioning. There is much debate in the field regarding their measurement and classification and there are no FDA-approved treatments for negative symptoms despite an abundance of research. 3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) is a schedule I substance that has emerged as a novel therapeutic given its ability to enhance social interactions, generate empathy, and induce a state of metaplasticity in the brain. This review provides a rationale for the use of MDMA in the treatment of negative symptoms by reviewing the literature on negative symptoms, their treatment, MDMA, and MDMA-assisted therapy. It reviews recent evidence that supports the safe and potentially effective use of MDMA to treat negative symptoms and concludes with considerations regarding safety and possible mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell D. Arnovitz
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Andrew J. Spitzberg
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Ashkhan J. Davani
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Nehal P. Vadhan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
- Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA
| | | | - John M. Kane
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
- Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA
| | - Timothy I. Michaels
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
- Correspondence:
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14
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Nghiem LH, Tabak BA, Wallmark Z, Alvi T, Cao J. A Bayesian Latent Variable Model for Analysis of Empathic Accuracy. RECENT ADVANCES ON SAMPLING METHODS AND EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS 2022:201-214. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-14525-4_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
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15
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Shany O, Greental A, Gilam G, Perry D, Bleich-Cohen M, Ovadia M, Cohen A, Raz G. Somatic engagement alters subsequent neurobehavioral correlates of affective mentalizing. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:5846-5861. [PMID: 34651382 PMCID: PMC8596949 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Socio‐emotional encounters involve a resonance of others' affective states, known as affect sharing (AS); and attribution of mental states to others, known as theory‐of‐mind (ToM). Empathy necessitates the integration of both processes, yet their interaction during emotional episodes and subsequent generation of inferences on others' affective states has rarely been tested. To address this, we developed a novel experimental design, wherein we manipulated AS by presenting nonverbal emotionally negative movies twice—each time accompanied by one of two soundtracks that accentuated either somatic cues or externally generated sounds. Movies were followed by questions addressing affective‐ToM (emotional inferences), cognitive‐ToM (inferences on beliefs and knowledge), and non‐ToM aspects. Results revealed a neural differentiation between AS, affective‐ToM, and cognitive‐ToM. AS movies activated regions that have been implicated in emotional (e.g., amygdala) and somatosensory processing, and synchronized brain activity between participants in the latter. Affective‐ToM activated the middle insula, limbic regions, and both ventral and dorsal portions of the medial prefrontal cortex (ventral medial prefrontal cortex [VMPFC] and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex [DMPFC], respectively), whereas cognitive‐ToM activated posteromedial and lateral–prefrontal and temporal cortices. Critically, AS movies specifically altered neural activation in AS and ToM‐related regions during subsequent affective‐ToM inferences, most notably in the DMPFC. Moreover, DMPFC–VMPFC connectivity correlated with affective‐ToM accuracy, when such questions followed AS movies. Our results associate empathic processes with designated neural activations and shed light on how neuro‐behavioral indices of affective ToM are shaped by preceding somatic engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofir Shany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ayam Greental
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gadi Gilam
- Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Daniella Perry
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Maya Bleich-Cohen
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Moran Ovadia
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Avihay Cohen
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gal Raz
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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16
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Lee J, Son JW, Kim S, Kim JE, Chung S, Ghim HR, Lee SI, Shin CJ, Ju G. Disrupted Association Between Empathy and Brain Structure in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Soa Chongsonyon Chongsin Uihak 2021; 32:129-136. [PMID: 34671185 PMCID: PMC8499037 DOI: 10.5765/jkacap.210009] [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: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives To investigate the relationship between brain structure and empathy in early adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods Nineteen early adolescents with ADHD and 20 healthy controls underwent 3T MRI. All the participants were assessed for different aspects of empathy using measures including the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and Empathy Quotient. Cortical thickness and subcortical structural volume based on T1-weighted scans were analyzed using FreeSurfer. Results Cognitive empathy (t=-2.52, p=0.016) and perspective taking (t=-2.10, p=0.043) were impaired in the ADHD group compared with the control group. The cluster encompassing the left posterior insular, supramarginal, and transverse temporal cortices [cluster-wise p-value (CWP)=0.001], which are associated with emotional empathy, was significantly smaller in the ADHD group, and the volume of the left nucleus accumbens was greater than that of the control group (F=10.12, p=0.003, effect size=0.22). In the control group, the left superior temporal (CWP=0.002) and lingual cortical (CWP=0.035) thicknesses were positively associated with cognitive empathy, while the right amygdala volume was positively associated with empathic concern (Coef=14.26, t=3.92, p=0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between empathy and brain structure in the ADHD group. Conclusion The ADHD group had a smaller volume of the cortical area associated with emotional empathy than the control group, and there was no brain region showing significant correlation with empathy, unlike in the control group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghwan Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Jung-Woo Son
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Siekyeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Ji-Eun Kim
- Ma-Eum Pyong-On Psychiatric Clinic, Yongin, Korea
| | - Seungwon Chung
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Hei-Rhee Ghim
- Department of Psychology, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Sang-Ick Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Chul-Jin Shin
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Gawon Ju
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
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17
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Israelashvili J, Perry A. Nuancing Perspective. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1027/1864-9335/a000452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Two experiments manipulated participants’ familiarity with another person and examined their performance in future understanding of that person’s emotions. To gain familiarity, participants watched several videos of the target sharing experiences and rated her emotions. In the Feedback condition, perceivers learned about the actual emotions the target felt. In the Control condition, perceivers completed identical recognition tasks but did not know the target’s own emotion ratings. Studies ( Ntotal = 398; one preregistered) found that the Feedback group was more accurate than the Control in future understanding of the target’s emotions. Results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration that brief preliminary learning about past emotional experiences of another person can give one a more accurate understanding of the person in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anat Perry
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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18
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Klabunde M, Piccirilli A, Bruno J, Gendron M, Reiss AL. Empathic Accuracy in Adolescent Girls with Turner Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:2203-2212. [PMID: 34081302 PMCID: PMC9021071 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05089-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
To examine the potential mechanisms underlying social deficits in Turner Syndrome, we administered the empathic accuracy task (EAT) -a naturalistic social cognition task- and a (control) visual-motor line-tracking task to 14 girls with TS was compared to 12 age-matched typically developing girls (TD; ages 12 to 17). Empathic accuracy was compared across positive and negative emotionally valanced videos. We found that TS differs from TD on empathic accuracy ratings for negative videos; no differences were detected for the positive videos or for the control line tracking task. Thus, our findings suggest impaired detection of negatively valanced empathic interactions in TS and may help inform the future development of social-cognition treatment strategies for girls with TS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Klabunde
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Brain Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, C04 3SQ, UK.
| | - A Piccirilli
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - J Bruno
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - M Gendron
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - A L Reiss
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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19
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McKenzie K, Russell A, Golm D, Fairchild G. Empathic Accuracy and Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Young Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:2004-2018. [PMID: 34052970 PMCID: PMC9021079 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05093-7] [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] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether young adults with ASD (n = 29) had impairments in Cognitive Empathy (CE), Affective Empathy (AE) or Empathic Accuracy (EA; the ability to track changes in others' thoughts and feelings) compared to typically-developing individuals (n = 31) using the Empathic Accuracy Task (EAT), which involves watching narrators recollecting emotionally-charged autobiographical events. Participants provided continuous ratings of the narrators' emotional intensity (indexing EA), labelled the emotions displayed (CE) and reported whether they shared the depicted emotions (AE). The ASD group showed deficits in EA for anger but did not differ from typically-developing participants in CE or AE on the EAT. The ASD group also reported lower CE (Perspective Taking) and AE (Empathic Concern) on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, a self-report questionnaire.
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Affiliation(s)
- K McKenzie
- Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, Somerset, BA2 7AY, UK.
| | - A Russell
- Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, Somerset, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - D Golm
- Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - G Fairchild
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, Somerset, BA2 7AY, UK
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20
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Israelashvili J, Pauw LS, Sauter DA, Fischer AH. Emotion Recognition from Realistic Dynamic Emotional Expressions Cohere with Established Emotion Recognition Tests: A Proof-of-Concept Validation of the Emotional Accuracy Test. J Intell 2021; 9:25. [PMID: 34067013 PMCID: PMC8162550 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence9020025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in understanding other people's emotions have typically been studied with recognition tests using prototypical emotional expressions. These tests have been criticized for the use of posed, prototypical displays, raising the question of whether such tests tell us anything about the ability to understand spontaneous, non-prototypical emotional expressions. Here, we employ the Emotional Accuracy Test (EAT), which uses natural emotional expressions and defines the recognition as the match between the emotion ratings of a target and a perceiver. In two preregistered studies (Ntotal = 231), we compared the performance on the EAT with two well-established tests of emotion recognition ability: the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (GERT) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). We found significant overlap (r > 0.20) between individuals' performance in recognizing spontaneous emotions in naturalistic settings (EAT) and posed (or enacted) non-verbal measures of emotion recognition (GERT, RMET), even when controlling for individual differences in verbal IQ. On average, however, participants reported enjoying the EAT more than the other tasks. Thus, the current research provides a proof-of-concept validation of the EAT as a useful measure for testing the understanding of others' emotions, a crucial feature of emotional intelligence. Further, our findings indicate that emotion recognition tests using prototypical expressions are valid proxies for measuring the understanding of others' emotions in more realistic everyday contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Israelashvili
- Psychology Department, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190501, Israel
| | - Lisanne S. Pauw
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany;
| | - Disa A. Sauter
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (D.A.S.); (A.H.F.)
| | - Agneta H. Fischer
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (D.A.S.); (A.H.F.)
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21
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Simon JC, Gutsell JN. Recognizing humanity: dehumanization predicts neural mirroring and empathic accuracy in face-to-face interactions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:463-473. [PMID: 33515023 PMCID: PMC8094996 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Dehumanization is the failure to recognize the cognitive and emotional complexities of the people around us. While its presence has been well documented in horrific acts of violence, it is also theorized to play a role in everyday life. We measured its presence and effects in face-to-face dyadic interactions between strangers and found that not only was there variance in the extent to which they perceived one another as human, but this variance predicted neural processing and behavior. Specifically, participants showed stronger neural mirroring, indexed by electroencephalography (EEG) mu-suppression, in response to partners they evaluated as more human, suggesting their brains neurally simulated those targets' actions more. Participants were also marginally more empathically accurate about the emotions of partners deemed more human and performed better with them on a cooperative task. These results suggest that there are indeed differences in our recognition of the humanity of people we meet-demonstrated for the first time in a real, face-to-face interaction-and that this mundane variation affects our ability to neurally simulate, cooperate and empathize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy C Simon
- Department of Psychology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
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22
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Abstract
A birth-to-adulthood study tested the effects of maternal–newborn contact and synchronous caregiving on the social processing brain in human adults. For two decades, we followed preterm and full-term neonates, who received or lacked initial maternal bodily contact, repeatedly observing mother–child social synchrony. We measured the brain basis of affect-specific empathy in young adulthood to pinpoint regions sensitive to others’ distinct emotions. Maternal–newborn contact enhanced social synchrony across development, which, in turn, predicted amygdalar and insular sensitivity to emotion-specific empathy. Findings demonstrate the long-term effects of maternal caregiving in humans, similar to their role in other mammals, particularly in tuning core regions implicated in salience detection, simulation, and interoception that sustain empathy and human attachment. Mammalian young are born with immature brain and rely on the mother’s body and caregiving behavior for maturation of neurobiological systems that sustain adult sociality. While research in animal models indicated the long-term effects of maternal contact and caregiving on the adult brain, little is known about the effects of maternal–newborn contact and parenting behavior on social brain functioning in human adults. We followed human neonates, including premature infants who initially lacked or received maternal–newborn skin-to-skin contact and full-term controls, from birth to adulthood, repeatedly observing mother–child social synchrony at key developmental nodes. We tested the brain basis of affect-specific empathy in young adulthood and utilized multivariate techniques to distinguish brain regions sensitive to others’ distinct emotions from those globally activated by the empathy task. The amygdala, insula, temporal pole (TP), and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) showed high sensitivity to others’ distinct emotions. Provision of maternal–newborn contact enhanced social synchrony across development from infancy and up until adulthood. The experience of synchrony, in turn, predicted the brain’s sensitivity to emotion-specific empathy in the amygdala and insula, core structures of the social brain. Social synchrony linked with greater empathic understanding in adolescence, which was longitudinally associated with higher neural sensitivity to emotion-specific empathy in TP and VMPFC. Findings demonstrate the centrality of synchronous caregiving, by which infants practice the detection and sharing of others’ affective states, for tuning the human social brain, particularly in regions implicated in salience detection, interoception, and mentalization that underpin affect sharing and human attachment.
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23
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Mendez MF. Degenerative dementias: Alterations of emotions and mood disorders. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 183:261-281. [PMID: 34389121 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-822290-4.00012-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Degenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia result in distinct alterations in emotional processing, emotional experiences, and mood. The neuropathology of these dementias extends to structures involved in emotional processing, including the basolateral limbic network (orbitofrontal cortex, anterior temporal lobe, amygdala, and thalamus), the insula, and ventromedial frontal lobe. Depression is the most common emotion and mood disorder affecting patients with Alzheimer's disease. The onset of depression can be a prodromal sign of this dementia. Anxiety can also be present early in the course of Alzheimer's disease and especially among patients with early-onset forms of the disease. In contrast, patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia demonstrate hypoemotionality, deficits in the recognition of emotion, and decreased psychophysiological reactivity to emotional stimuli. They typically have a disproportionate impairment in emotional and cognitive empathy. One other unique feature of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia is the frequent occurrence of bipolar disorder. The management strategies for these alterations of emotion and mood in degenerative dementias primarily involve the judicious use of the psychiatric armamentarium of medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Mendez
- Behavioral Neurology Program, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Neurology Service, Veteran Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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24
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Jospe K, Genzer S, klein Selle N, Ong D, Zaki J, Perry A. The contribution of linguistic and visual cues to physiological synchrony and empathic accuracy. Cortex 2020; 132:296-308. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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25
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Brown CL, Hua AY, De Coster L, Sturm VE, Kramer JH, Rosen HJ, Miller BL, Levenson RW. Comparing two facets of emotion perception across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 15:511-522. [PMID: 32363385 PMCID: PMC7328026 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in emotion perception (the ability to infer others' emotions accurately) can occur as a result of neurodegeneration. It remains unclear how different neurodegenerative diseases affect different forms of emotion perception. The present study compares performance on a dynamic tracking task of emotion perception (where participants track the changing valence of a film character's emotions) with performance on an emotion category labeling task (where participants label specific emotions portrayed by film characters) across seven diagnostic groups (N = 178) including Alzheimer's disease (AD), behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome and healthy controls. Consistent with hypotheses, compared to controls, the bvFTD group was impaired on both tasks. The svPPA group was impaired on the emotion labeling task, whereas the nfvPPA, PSP and AD groups were impaired on the dynamic tracking task. Smaller volumes in bilateral frontal and left insular regions were associated with worse labeling, whereas smaller volumes in bilateral medial frontal, temporal and right insular regions were associated with worse tracking. Findings suggest labeling and tracking facets of emotion perception are differentially affected across neurodegenerative diseases due to their unique neuroanatomical correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey L Brown
- Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Alice Y Hua
- Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA
| | - Lize De Coster
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Virginia E Sturm
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Howard J Rosen
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Robert W Levenson
- Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA
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Abstract
Resilience - a key topic in clinical science and practice - still lacks a clear conceptualization that integrates its evolutionary and human-specific features, refrains from exclusive focus on fear physiology, incorporates a developmental approach, and, most importantly, is not based on the negation (i.e., absence of symptoms following trauma). Building on the initial condition of mammals, whose brain matures in the context of the mother's body and caregiving behavior, we argue that systems and processes that participate in tuning the brain to the social ecology and adapting to its hardships mark the construct of resilience. These include the oxytocin system, the affiliative brain, and biobehavioral synchrony, all characterized by great flexibility across phylogenesis and ontogenesis. Three core features of resilience are outlined: plasticity, sociality and meaning. Mechanisms of sociality by which coordinated action supports diversity, endurance and adaptation are described across animal evolution. Humans' biobehavioral synchrony matures from maternal attuned behavior in the postpartum to adult-adult relationships of empathy, perspective-taking and intimacy, and extends from the mother-child relationship to other affiliative bonds throughout life, charting a fundamental trajectory in the development of resilience. Findings from three high-risk cohorts, each tapping a distinct disruption to maternal-infant bonding (prematurity, maternal depression, and early life stress/trauma), and followed from birth to adolescence/young adulthood, demonstrate how components of the neurobiology of affiliation confer resilience and uniquely shape the social brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Feldman
- Interdisciplinary CenterHerzliyaIsrael,Yale Child Study CenterUniversity of YaleNew HavenCTUSA
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27
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Cankaya S, Oktem EO, Saatci O, Velioglu HA, Uygur AB, Ozsimsek A, Hanoglu L, Yulug B. Paracetamol alters empathy scores in healthy and headache subjects: Functional MRI correlates. J Clin Neurosci 2020; 78:215-221. [PMID: 32376158 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2020.04.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although previous evidence suggest that paracetamol decreases psychological reactivity in healthy subjects, there is still no confirmed correlation between the empathy scores and brain activity in healthy and headache patients after paracetamol treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study group included 16 patients with tension-type headache, and 12 healthy age-and sex-matched controls. After a detailed neurological examination Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Empathy for Pain Scale (EPS) were applied to all subjects. Next, 1000 mg paracetamol tablet was administered orally, after administration of paracetamol, EPS were repeated, and fMRI was performed to all subjects. RESULTS We have revealed increased empathy scores in the headache group after the paracetamol treatment which were associated with significant alterations in brain regions which play a critical role in the processing of empathy. DISCUSSION The observed neuroimaging and clinical difference between healthy and headache subjects could be related to the fact that pain perception in healthy subjects might differ in some aspects from the mechanisms of empathy in headache-experienced patients. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated the paracetamol treatment and neural networks' correlation with pain empathy in healthy and headache individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyda Cankaya
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Antalya/Alanya, Turkey.
| | - Ece Ozdemir Oktem
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Antalya/Alanya, Turkey
| | - Ozlem Saatci
- Istanbul Sancaktepe, Education and Research Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Halil Aziz Velioglu
- Istanbul Medipol University, Restorative and Regenerative Medicine Center, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Abdullah Burak Uygur
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Antalya/Alanya, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Ozsimsek
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Antalya/Alanya, Turkey
| | - Lutfu Hanoglu
- Istanbul Medipol University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Burak Yulug
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Antalya/Alanya, Turkey; Istanbul Medipol University, Restorative and Regenerative Medicine Center, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
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28
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Olsavsky AK, Stoddard J, Erhart A, Tribble R, Kim P. Neural processing of infant and adult face emotion and maternal exposure to childhood maltreatment. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:997-1008. [PMID: 31680141 PMCID: PMC7058929 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Face processing in mothers is linked to mother–infant social communication, which is critical for parenting and in turn for child development. Neuroimaging studies of child maltreatment-exposed (CME) mothers are sparse compared to studies of mothers with postpartum depression, which have suggested blunted amygdala reactivity to infant stimuli. We expected to see a similar pattern in CME mothers. Based on broader studies in trauma-exposed populations, we anticipated increased amygdala reactivity to negative adult face stimuli in a comparison task in CME mothers given heightened evaluation of potential threat. We examined Neuroimaging studies of mothers with childhood maltreatment exposure (CME) (18–37 years old), who performed infant (N = 45) and/or adult (N = 46) face processing tasks. CME mothers exhibited blunted bilateral amygdala reactivity to infant faces. There was no between-group difference in amygdala reactivity to adult faces. In infant and adult face processing tasks regardless of CME, superior temporal gyrus activation was increased for negative-valence stimuli. Our preliminary findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters maternal processing of infant social cues, a critical skill impacting infant socioemotional development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviva K Olsavsky
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.,Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado
| | - Joel Stoddard
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.,Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado
| | | | | | - Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.,Department of Psychology, University of Denver
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Israelashvili J, Sauter DA, Fischer AH. Different faces of empathy: Feelings of similarity disrupt recognition of negative emotions. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 87:103912. [PMID: 32127724 PMCID: PMC7001982 DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Empathizing with others is widely presumed to increase our understanding of their emotions. Little is known, however, about which empathic process actually help people recognize others' feelings more accurately. Here, we probed the relationship between emotion recognition and two empathic processes: spontaneously felt similarity (having had a similar experience) and deliberate perspective taking (focus on the other vs. oneself). We report four studies in which participants (total N = 803) watched videos of targets sharing genuine negative emotional experiences. Participants' multi-scalar ratings of the targets' emotions were compared with the targets' own emotion ratings. In Study 1 we found that having had a similar experience to what the target was sharing was associated with lower recognition of the target's emotions. Study 2 replicated the same pattern and in addition showed that making participants' own imagined reaction to the described event salient resulted in further reduced accuracy. Studies 3 and 4 were preregistered replications and extensions of Studies 1 and 2, in which we observed the same outcome using a different stimulus set, indicating the robustness of the finding. Moreover, Study 4 directly investigated the underlying mechanism of the observed effect. Findings showed that perceivers who have had a negative life experience similar to the emotional event described in the video felt greater personal distress after watching the video, which in part explained their reduced accuracy. These results provide the first demonstration that spontaneous empathy, evoked by similarity in negative experiences, may inhibit rather than increase our understanding of others' emotions.
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30
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Abstract
It has been proposed that atypical empathy in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is due to co-occurring alexithymia. However, difficulties measuring empathy and statistical issues in previous research raise questions about the role of alexithymia in empathic processing in ASD. Addressing these issues, we compared the associations of trait alexithymia and autism with empathy in large samples from the general population. Multiple regression analyses showed that both trait autism and alexithymia were uniquely associated with atypical empathy, but dominance analysis found that trait autism, compared to alexithymia, was a more important predictor of atypical cognitive, affective, and overall empathy. Together, these findings indicate that atypical empathy in ASD is not simply due to co-occurring alexithymia.
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31
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Israelashvili J, Sauter D, Fischer A. How Well Can We Assess Our Ability to Understand Others' Feelings? Beliefs About Taking Others' Perspectives and Actual Understanding of Others' Emotions. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2475. [PMID: 31824365 PMCID: PMC6882378 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
People vary in their beliefs about their tendency to engage in perspective taking and to understand other's feelings. Often, however, those beliefs are suggested to be poor indicators of actual skills and thus provide an inaccurate reflection of performance. Few studies, however, have examined whether people's beliefs accurately predict their performance on emotion recognition tasks using dynamic or spontaneous emotional expressions. We report six studies (N ranges from 186 to 315; N total = 1,347) testing whether individuals' report of their engagement in perspective taking, as measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983), is associated with accurate emotion recognition. In Studies 1-3, emotion recognition performance was assessed using three standard tests of nonverbal emotion recognition. To provide a more naturalistic test, we then assessed performance with a new emotion recognition test in Studies 4-6, using videos of real targets that share their emotional experiences. Participants' multi-scalar ratings of the targets' emotions were compared with the targets' own emotion ratings. Across all studies, we found a modest, yet significant positive relationship: people who believe that they take the other's perspective also perform better in tests of emotion recognition (r = 0.20, p < 0.001). Beliefs about taking others' perspective thus reflect interpersonal reality, but only partially.
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32
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Fourie MM, Stein DJ, Solms M, Gobodo-Madikizela P, Decety J. Effects of early adversity and social discrimination on empathy for complex mental states: An fMRI investigation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12959. [PMID: 31506497 PMCID: PMC6737126 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49298-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
There is extensive evidence of an association between early adversity and enduring neural changes that impact socioemotional processing throughout life. Yet little is known about the effects of on-going social discrimination on socioemotional functioning. Here we examined how cumulative experiences of social discrimination impact brain response during empathic responding—a crucial issue in South Africa, given its historical apartheid context and continuing legacies. White and Black South Africans completed measures of social adversity (early adversity and social discrimination), and underwent fMRI while viewing video clips depicting victims and perpetrators of apartheid crimes. Increased neural response was detected in brain regions associated with cognitive rather than affective empathy, and greater social adversity was associated with reduced reported compassion across participants. Notably, social discrimination (due to income level, weight, gender) in White participants was associated with increased amygdala reactivity, whereas social discrimination (due to race) in Black participants mediated the negative associations of temporoparietal junction and inferior frontal gyrus activation with compassion during emotionally provocative conditions. These findings suggest that (i) social discrimination has comparable associations at the neural level as other psychosocial stressors, and that (ii) the mechanisms underlying empathic responding vary as a function of the type of social discrimination experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melike M Fourie
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mark Solms
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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33
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DiGirolamo MA, Simon JC, Hubley KM, Kopulsky A, Gutsell JN. Clarifying the relationship between trait empathy and action-based resonance indexed by EEG mu-rhythm suppression. Neuropsychologia 2019; 133:107172. [PMID: 31425710 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Sensorimotor resonance, the vicarious activation of the sensory motor system during observation of another's actions, is thought to contribute to important social functions including empathy. Previous research has shown that sensorimotor resonance, as measured by suppression of the electrophysiological (EEG) mu rhythm, is predicted by trait empathy, but findings are inconsistent. Here we report data from a high-powered study (N = 252) to clarify the relationship between sensorimotor resonance as indexed by mu suppression during action observation and trait empathy as measured by the well-established Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Our initial pre-registered analyses at central electrode locations indicate that sensorimotor resonance is unrelated to general trait empathy or its sub-facets, however, these effects could not be isolated from attention-related occipital alpha. An additional non-registered analysis using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to look at the isolated central mu-component clarified the relationship. Results confirmed the lack of a relationship between the mu-component and the perspective taking, personal distress, or fantasy facets of the IRI, but suggest a possible association with empathic concern such that greater resonance is associated with greater empathic concern. These results question the previously assumed relationship between trait empathy and sensorimotor resonance and highlight the need to investigate experience sharing tendencies in the context of simulation-based resonance.
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