Gong Pingyuan, Fan Huiyong, Liu Jinting, Yang Xing, Zhang Kejin, Zhou Xiaolin
Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.
College of Education and Sports, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013, China.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2017 Jun;80:131-136. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.03.005. Epub 2017 Mar 9.
Oxytocin in the brain is related to empathy, which refers to the ability to understand and share others' internal states or responses. Previous studies have investigated the impact of OXTR rs53576, the most intensively examined polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene, on individual differences in empathy. However, these studies produced inconsistent results. In the current study, we reexamined the association of OXTR rs53576 with empathy in a relatively large population (N=1830) and also evaluated the association by a comprehensive meta-analysis (N=6631, 13 independent samples). The replication study indicated that OXTR rs53576 was indeed associated with individual differences in empathy. Individuals with a greater number of G alleles showed better empathic ability, particularly in fantasizing other's feelings and actions. The meta-analysis not only confirmed this association, but also indicated that the impact of this polymorphism was significant in both Europeans and Asians. These findings provide convincing evidence for the impact of OXTR rs53576 on empathy, highlighting the importance of OXTR gene in individuals' social cognition.
大脑中的催产素与同理心有关，同理心是指理解和分享他人内心状态或反应的能力。以往的研究调查了催产素受体（OXTR）基因中研究最为深入的多态性OXTR rs53576对同理心个体差异的影响。然而，这些研究结果并不一致。在本研究中，我们在一个相对较大的样本（N = 1830）中重新检验了OXTR rs53576与同理心的关联，并通过综合荟萃分析（N = 6631，13个独立样本）评估了这种关联。重复研究表明，OXTR rs53576确实与同理心的个体差异有关。拥有更多G等位基因的个体表现出更好的共情能力，尤其是在想象他人的感受和行为方面。荟萃分析不仅证实了这种关联，还表明这种多态性在欧洲人和亚洲人中的影响都很显著。这些发现为OXTR rs53576对同理心的影响提供了令人信服的证据，突出了OXTR基因在个体社会认知中的重要性。
