Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.
Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.
Curr Opin Psychol. 2018 Dec;24:15-20. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.03.002. Epub 2018 Mar 13.
While many consider empathy an exclusively human trait, non-human animals are capable of simple forms of empathy, such as emotional contagion, as well as consolation and helping behavior. Rodent models are particularly useful for describing the neuronal background of these phenomena. They offer the possibility of employing single-cell resolution mapping of the neuronal activity as well as novel techniques for manipulation of in vivo activity, which are currently unavailable in human studies. Here, we review recent developments in the field of rodent empathy research with special emphasis on behavioral paradigms and data on neuronal correlates of emotional contagion. We hope that the use of rodent models will enhance our understanding of social deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized with empathy impairments and the evolutionary continuity of the empathic trait.
虽然许多人认为同理心是人类独有的特征，但非人类动物也能够表现出简单形式的同理心，例如情绪感染，以及安慰和帮助行为。啮齿动物模型在描述这些现象的神经生物学背景方面特别有用。它们提供了以单细胞分辨率映射神经元活动的可能性，以及用于操纵体内活动的新技术，而这些在人类研究中目前是不可用的。在这里，我们回顾了啮齿动物同理心研究领域的最新进展，特别强调了情绪感染的行为范式和神经元相关性数据。我们希望使用啮齿动物模型将增强我们对以同理心障碍为特征的神经精神障碍的社会缺陷以及同理心特征的进化连续性的理解。
