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Inter-subject phase synchronization differentiates neural networks underlying physical pain empathy
Lei Xu1, Taylor Bolt2, Jason S Nomi3
1The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|March 5, 2020
Summary
Researchers used inter-subject phase synchronization (ISPS) to study brain networks during pain empathy. They found distinct networks for observing physical pain but not affective pain, highlighting dynamic neural processes in social cognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Understanding the neural basis of empathy, particularly for pain, is crucial for social cognition.
- Dynamic network construction underlies multifaceted social cognitive processes like pain empathy.
- Inter-subject phase synchronization (ISPS) is a novel approach for analyzing task-fMRI data to reveal dynamic brain networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply the ISPS approach to task-fMRI data to investigate neural networks involved in vicarious pain empathy.
- To explore differences in neural synchronization during the observation of physical versus affective pain.
- To identify distinct brain networks associated with different aspects of pain empathy.
Main Methods:
- Utilized inter-subject phase synchronization (ISPS) on task-functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from 238 healthy participants.
- Participants observed visual stimuli depicting physical (limb) and affective (face) painful and non-painful scenarios.
- Analyzed dynamic synchronization patterns within and across participants' brain activity.
Main Results:
- ISPS identified two distinct synchronized networks during physical pain observation: one involving pain-processing regions (anterior insula, midcingulate) and another involving social cognition regions (parietal, inferior frontal).
- No robust network synchronization was observed for affective pain observation, suggesting high inter-individual variability.
- Separate networks were identified for general stimulus processing, including object manipulation for physical stimuli and face processing for affective stimuli.
Conclusions:
- The ISPS approach effectively segregates brain networks engaged in different psychological processes during empathy tasks.
- Findings provide insights into shared neural mechanisms for empathy towards physical pain across individuals.
- The study suggests that affective pain empathy may involve more variable neural responses compared to physical pain empathy.
