The sociopath amongst us: the neural basis of empathy disorders

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Empathy is fundamental to human relations. Despite this, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. This project tests whether empathy relies upon us simulating the emotion of others in ourselves, and if so, at which stage this occurs. It is significant because it tests several competing theories to advance a coherent model of empathy that can be used to understand human social behaviour. It is innovative because it focuses on adults with brain lesions. This is a powerful means to examine brain mechanisms underpinning empathy, yielding insights not available from observation of healthy adults. It is expected to provide a leap forward in understanding the neuroscience of social behaviour.