Resting-state functional connectivity related to empathy and sensory processing sensitivity

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait that has both positive features (SPS+) such as sensitivity to subtle cues, and negative features (SPS-) such as sensitivity to unpleasant stimuli or situations. Both SPS feature clusters are related to empathy. This study examined the neural correlates of SPS as it relates to empathy in the brain at rest.

In a sample of university students (N = 172), we identified links between SPS facets and multiple aspects of empathy measured via self-report. Subsequently, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans from 40 of these participants (M_age = 21.10 years; 22 females) were analyzed, using neural regions associated with empathy as seeds. Second-level correlation analyses identified associations between functional connectivity (FC) for each seed-to-voxel connection and each facet of SPS.

SPS+ was associated with increased FC between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and left superior parietal lobule, right intracalcarine cortex, and bilateral lateral occipital cortex (LOC). SPS- was associated with increased FC between the left inferior frontal gyrus and right frontal pole; right insula and primary somatosensory cortex; mPFC and left LOC; and precuneus and left frontal pole. SPS- was also associated with decreased FC between the left inferior frontal gyrus and left LOC; left insula and brainstem; precuneus and left occipital pole; and precuneus and right cerebellum.

These patterns may relate to specific features of SPS including enhanced visual processing, deeper processing of information, and heightened interoceptive and emotional processing, which may contribute to the strong feelings of empathy reported by individuals with SPS, and to emotion dysregulation that may exacerbate feelings of personal distress in those possessing strong SPS- traits when witnessing others' suffering.