Neural correlates of feeling sympathy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Understanding the neural basis of empathy is crucial for social cognition.
• Sympathy, a key component of empathy, involves shared emotional experiences.
• Previous research suggests involvement of affective and cognitive brain networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural correlates of feeling sympathy using Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
• To examine how emotional expression and narrative content influence sympathy.
• To identify brain regions involved in processing congruent and incongruent emotional cues.

Main Methods:

• PET scans were performed on subjects viewing video clips of actors telling sad and neutral stories.
• Emotional expression in videos was either congruent or incongruent with the narrative content.
• Subjects rated the communicator's mood and likability, and physiological responses (skin conductance) were measured.

Main Results:

• Sad stories activated emotion processing areas and a "shared representation" network, including the right inferior parietal cortex.
• Motor expression of emotion (MEE) alone increased regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the left inferior frontal gyrus.
• Incongruent emotional cues (mismatch) led to increased skin conductance and rCBF in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and superior frontal gyrus, associated with social conflict.

Conclusions:

• Feeling sympathy relies on a network integrating shared representation and affective brain systems.
• Processing incongruent emotional cues activates brain regions involved in social conflict resolution.
• The identified neural network for sympathy is distinct from that activated by inappropriate social behavior.