痛觉共情神经活动种族内群体偏好的分子和基因机理

共情是理解和分享他人情感并影响人类社会行为的重要心理过程。大脑前扣带回、辅助运动皮层、脑岛前叶、第二感觉皮层等脑区参与痛觉共情。我们过去的研究发现了痛觉共情的种族内群体偏好：相对于外种族成员，人类对内种族成员的痛觉共情神经反应更强。本项目拟结合催产素和基因脑功能成像，进一步研究痛觉共情种族内群体偏好的分子和基因机理，检验以下科学假设：（１）催产素是影响前扣带回等脑区痛觉共情种族内群体偏好的一个分子；（２）痛觉共情种族内群体偏好与催产素受体基因关联；（３）催产素受体基因不同亚型人群的痛觉共情种族内群体偏好对催产素具有不同的敏感性。多学科交叉研究痛觉共情种族内群体偏好的分子和基因机理，揭示分子和基因等生物学因素如何与社会关系相互作用影响痛觉共情的神经机制，对理解人类社会行为的机理具有重要意义。

Empathy refers to the ability to understand and share others' emotional states and plays a key role in human social behavior. Empathy for pain engages the anterior cingulate, supplementary motor area, anterior insula and second somatosensory cortex. Our previous research has revealed racial in-group bias in empathic neural responses - Empathic neural responses to others' pain are stronger to racial in-group compared out-group members. This project further investigates the molecular and genetic mechanisms of the racial in-group bias in empathy for pain by testing the following hypotheses. (1) Oxytocin is a molecular that is engaged in racial in-group bias in empathic neural responses in brain regions such as ACC. (2) The racial in-group bias in empathic neural responses is associated with the oxytocin receptor gene. (3) Different variants of the oxytocin receptor gene show distinct oxytocin effects on racial in-group bias in empathic neural responses. The innovation of our project is to integrate multiple approaches to the understanding of molecular and genetic mechanisms of racial in-group bias in empathy for pain. Our findings will help to understand how molecular/gene interact with social relationships to modulate neural responses during empathy and related social behavior.