Fronto-striatal activity predicts anhedonia and positive empathy subtypes

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Social Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• The reward circuit, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), globus pallidus, and nucleus accumbens, is linked to pleasure.
• Anhedonia, or reduced pleasure, is associated with damage to these reward circuit regions.
• The relationship between these brain areas and vicarious pleasure remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural correlates of anhedonia and vicarious pleasure.
• To examine how brain activity in reward circuit regions relates to trait empathy and behavioral measures of anhedonia.
• To explore the neural basis of empathic happiness and empathic cheerfulness.

Main Methods:

• Pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected from 20 participants.
• Participants underwent an empathy induction paradigm using video clips to elicit empathic happiness, cheerfulness, or concern.
• A novel behavioral task, the "Happy Faces" task, was used to measure anhedonia during fMRI scanning.

Main Results:

• Globus pallidus activity during empathic concern predicted trait empathic cheerfulness (R²=26%, p=0.045).
• Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity during the "Happy Faces" task predicted task accuracy (R²=34%, p<0.05).
• Nucleus accumbens shell activity during the "Happy Faces" task predicted trait empathic happiness (R²=38%, p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Fronto-striatal circuitry plays a significant role in the experience of anhedonia.
• Neural activity in these regions is associated with empathic happiness and empathic cheerfulness.
• These findings advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying pleasure and empathy.