Coll Michel-Pierre, Tremblay Marie-Pier B, Jackson Philip L
École de psychologie, Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Quebec City, QC, Canada G1V0A6; Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale, 525, boul.boul. Wilfrid-Wilfrid-Hamel, Quebec City, QC, Canada G1M2S8; Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, 2601, de la Canardière, Quebec City, QC, Canada G1J2G3.
École de psychologie, Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Quebec City, QC, Canada G1V0A6; Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale, 525, boul.boul. Wilfrid-Wilfrid-Hamel, Quebec City, QC, Canada G1M2S8; Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, 2601, de la Canardière, Quebec City, QC, Canada G1J2G3.
Neuropsychologia. 2017 Jun;100:110-119. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.04.021. Epub 2017 Apr 15.
Empathy is a complex psychological phenomenon crucial for social perception and interactions. Several lines of evidence suggest that the right temporo-parietal junction is involved in self-other control mechanisms that play an important role in empathic responses. However, limited direct evidence of the involvement of this region in empathic responses is currently available. In this study, inhibitory transcranial direct current stimulation over this region influenced empathic responses to others' pain. It was found that compared to participants that received anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation, participants who received cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the right temporo-parietal junction perceived the pain of others as less intense compared to sham stimulation and showed decreased late event related potentials to facial expressions of pain. Furthermore, it was found the stimulation had no significant effect on measures of sensorimotor resonance and physiological responses to pain in others. Our results demonstrate that the right temporo-parietal junction plays a role in empathic responses and that its inhibition can decrease behavioural and cerebral measures related to the cognitive-evaluative component of empathy. It is proposed that the right temporo-parietal junction is a valid stimulation target to study the influence of self-other control in empathic processes and could be useful to study the involvement of this region observed in clinical conditions characterized by altered empathic responses.
同理心是一种复杂的心理现象，对社会认知和互动至关重要。多项证据表明，右侧颞顶联合区参与了自我与他人控制机制，这些机制在同理心反应中发挥着重要作用。然而，目前关于该区域参与同理心反应的直接证据有限。在本研究中，对该区域进行抑制性经颅直流电刺激会影响对他人疼痛的同理心反应。研究发现，与接受阳极或假经颅直流电刺激的参与者相比，在右侧颞顶联合区接受阴极经颅直流电刺激的参与者，与假刺激相比，感知到他人的疼痛强度更低，并且对疼痛面部表情的晚期事件相关电位降低。此外，研究发现该刺激对感觉运动共振测量以及对他人疼痛的生理反应没有显著影响。我们的结果表明，右侧颞顶联合区在同理心反应中发挥作用，对其进行抑制可降低与同理心认知评估成分相关的行为和大脑指标。有人提出，右侧颞顶联合区是研究自我与他人控制在同理心过程中影响的有效刺激靶点，并且可能有助于研究在以同理心反应改变为特征的临床病症中观察到的该区域的参与情况。
