Dissecting the social brain: Introducing the EmpaToM to reveal distinct neural networks and brain-behavior relations for empathy and Theory of Mind
Dissecting the social brain: Introducing the EmpaToM to reveal distinct neural networks and brain-behavior relations for empathy and Theory of Mind
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DOI：
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.07.082
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发表时间：
2015-11-15
期刊：
影响因子：
5.7
通讯作者：
Singer, Tania
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kanske, Philipp;Boeckler, Anne;Singer, Tania
成功的社会互动既需要情感分享（同理心），也需要理解他人的心理状态（心理理论，ToM）。由于这两种功能大多是单独研究的，因此无法测试潜在神经网络的特异性以及这些网络与各自行为指标的关系。在这里，我们提出了一种新的功能磁共振成像范式（EmpaToM），它可以独立地操纵共情和ToM。实验1a/b （N = 90）在行为和神经层面上验证了已建立的共情和ToM范式。实验2 （N = 178）使用EmpaToM清晰地揭示了可分离的神经网络，包括用于共情的前岛和用于汤姆的腹侧颞顶连接。这些不同的网络可以在无任务静息状态功能连接中复制。重要的是，这两个网络的大脑活动特异性地预测了各自的行为指标，即与ToM相关的大脑活动的个体间差异预测了ToM表现的个体间差异，但不能预测共情反应，反之亦然。总的来说，经过验证的EmpaToM允许分离情感和认知途径来理解他人。因此，它可能有利于未来的临床、发展和干预研究，以确定选择性损伤和社会认知的特定组成部分的改善。(C) 2015爱思唯尔公司版权所有。
Successful social interactions require both affect sharing (empathy) and understanding others' mental states (Theory of Mind, ToM). As these two functions have mostly been investigated in isolation, the specificity of the underlying neural networks and the relation of these networks to the respective behavioral indices could not be tested. Here, we present a novel fMRI paradigm (EmpaToM) that independently manipulates both empathy and ToM. Experiments 1a/b (N = 90) validated the task with established empathy and ToM paradigms on a behavioral and neural level. Experiment 2 (N = 178) employed the EmpaToM and revealed clearly separable neural networks including anterior insula for empathy and ventral temporoparietal junction for ToM. These distinct networks could be replicated in task-free resting state functional connectivity. Importantly, brain activity in these two networks specifically predicted the respective behavioral indices, that is, inter-individual differences in ToM related brain activity predicted inter-individual differences in ToM performance, but not empathic responding, and vice versa. Taken together, the validated EmpaToM allows separation of affective and cognitive routes to understanding others. It may thus benefit future clinical, developmental, and intervention studies on identifying selective impairments and improvement in specific components of social cognition. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.