Dong Daifeng, Ming Qingsen, Wang Xiang, Yu Weixia, Jiang Yali, Wu Qiong, Gao Yidian, Yao Shuqiao
Medical Psychological Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University Changsha, China.
Front Psychol. 2017 Jan 11;7:2085. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02085. eCollection 2016.
Lack of empathy has been proposed to account for the characteristic behavioral problems exhibited by adolescents with conduct disorder (CD). Hence, the aim of this study was to determine whether adolescents with CD exhibit atypical affective and cognitive neural empathic responses during pain-related empathy processing. A total of 30 adolescents with a CD diagnosis and 36 without CD symptoms were recruited from out-patient clinics and local middle schools in the same region, respectively. All 66 participants were subjected to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing video clips depicting a face with a neutral expression receiving non-painful stimulation (Q-tip touch) or a face with a painful expression receiving painful stimulation (needle penetration) applied to the left or right cheek. The regions associated with affective and cognitive empathy were activated in the HC group during pain-related empathy processing. Compared to HCs, adolescents with CD showed significantly reduced activation in the bilateral temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Adolescents with CD exhibited dampened hemodynamic responses during pain-related empathy processing in the bilateral TPJ, a region associated with cognitive empathy. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adolescents with CD may have a cognitive empathy deficiency.
缺乏同理心被认为是品行障碍（CD）青少年所表现出的典型行为问题的原因。因此，本研究的目的是确定患有CD的青少年在与疼痛相关的同理心处理过程中是否表现出非典型的情感和认知神经同理心反应。分别从门诊诊所和同一地区的当地中学招募了30名被诊断患有CD的青少年和36名没有CD症状的青少年。所有66名参与者在观看视频片段时都接受了功能磁共振成像（fMRI），视频片段展示了一张中性表情的脸接受非疼痛刺激（棉签触摸）或一张痛苦表情的脸接受施加在左脸颊或右脸颊上的疼痛刺激（针刺）。在与疼痛相关的同理心处理过程中，健康对照组（HC组）中与情感和认知同理心相关的区域被激活。与健康对照组相比，患有CD的青少年在双侧颞顶联合区（TPJ）的激活明显减少。患有CD的青少年在与认知同理心相关的双侧TPJ区域的疼痛相关同理心处理过程中表现出减弱的血液动力学反应。这些发现与患有CD的青少年可能存在认知同理心缺陷的假设一致。
