Structural anatomy of empathy in neurodegenerative disease
Structural anatomy of empathy in neurodegenerative disease
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DOI：
10.1093/brain/awl254
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发表时间：
2006-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
14.5
通讯作者：
Miller, Bruce L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Rankin, Katherine P.;Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa;Miller, Bruce L.
移情是一种复杂的社会行为，由大脑结构网络介导。最近，一些功能成像研究已经调查了共情的神经基础，但很少有确凿的人类病变的研究存在。严重的移情丧失是额颞叶变性（FTLD）的常见特征，也见于其他神经退行性疾病。在这项研究中，使用人际反应指数（IRI）对123名FTLD、阿尔茨海默病、皮质基底节变性和进行性核上性麻痹患者的同理心的神经解剖基础进行了研究。使用基于体素的形态测量法将IRI共情关注和观点采择分数与结构MRI脑体积相关。右侧颞极、右侧梭状回、右侧尾状回和右侧胼胝体下回的体素与共情总分显著相关（多重比较全脑校正后P < 0.05）。在语义性痴呆中，共情评分与右侧颞叶结构体积呈正相关，在额颞叶痴呆中，共情评分与胼胝体下回体积呈正相关。这些发现与先前的研究一致，表明主要是右额颞叶脑区网络参与情绪处理，并强调了右颞极和下额叶/纹状体区在调节复杂的社会互动中的作用。这是第一个大规模的病变研究，探讨共情的神经基础，使用相关分析方法。研究结果表明，右前颞叶和内侧额叶区域对现实生活中的共情行为至关重要。
Empathy is a complex social behaviour mediated by a network of brain structures. Recently, several functional imaging studies have investigated the neural basis of empathy, but few corroborative human lesion studies exist. Severe empathy loss is a common feature of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and is also seen in other neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, the neuroanatomic basis of empathy was investigated in 123 patients with FTLD, Alzheimer's disease, corticobasal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). IRI Empathic Concern and Perspective taking scores were correlated with structural MRI brain volume using voxel-based morphometry. Voxels in the right temporal pole, the right fusiform gyrus, the right caudate and right subcallosal gyrus correlated significantly with total empathy score (P < 0.05 after whole-brain correction for multiple comparisons). Empathy score correlated positively with the volume of right temporal structures in semantic dementia, and with subcallosal gyrus volume in frontotemporal dementia. These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that a primarily right frontotemporal network of brain regions is involved in emotion processing, and highlights the roles of the right temporal pole and inferior frontal/striatal regions in regulating complex social interactions. This is the first large-scale lesion study to investigate the neural basis of empathy using correlational analytic methods. The results suggest that the right anterior temporal and medial frontal regions are essential for real-life empathic behaviour.