Reddy Rajakumari P, Mathulla Anna R, Rajeswaran Jamuna
Dept. of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karantaka, India.
Indian J Psychol Med. 2022 Jan;44(1):53-58. doi: 10.1177/0253717620973380. Epub 2021 Jan 21.
Empathy plays a fundamental role in the context of psychotherapy. Mental health professionals (MHP) are required to express empathy on a daily basis. "Perspective taking" (cognitive empathy) and "emotional contagion" (affective empathy) are elements of empathy that are both innate and acquired. This study aimed to explore the underlying neural correlates of empathy using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
A total of six healthy subjects from MHP and other professionals (OP) were recruited in a single-assessment study design. Subjects were screened using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Standard Progressive Matrices. Behavioral measures such as cognitive and affective empathy, interpersonal reactivity, and emotional and social quotient were assessed. Perspective taking was examined with the fMRI face recognition task and the reading mind through eyes task. Emotional contagion was examined by the negative, positive, and pain emotions task. The fMRI was conducted in a 3T Siemens Magnetom Skyra scanner, using a block design paradigm.
Activation was noted in the following areas: cingulate and thalamus for positive and negative emotions, precuneus for negative emotion and pain, inferior parietal lobe for reading mind task and negative emotion, declive for reading mind and pain, and precuneus and frontal gyrus for reading mind task and facial recognition.
There was no significant difference between MHP and OP groups on the behavioral measures. However, there were variations in cerebral and cerebellar activation in the functional imaging parameters.
共情在心理治疗中起着基础性作用。心理健康专业人员（MHP）每天都需要表达共情。“观点采择”（认知共情）和“情绪感染”（情感共情）是共情的要素，既有先天的也有后天习得的。本研究旨在使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）探索共情潜在的神经关联。
在一项单评估研究设计中招募了总共6名来自心理健康专业人员和其他专业人员（OP）的健康受试者。使用迷你国际神经精神病学访谈和标准渐进矩阵对受试者进行筛查。评估了诸如认知和情感共情、人际反应性以及情绪和社会商数等行为指标。通过fMRI面部识别任务和通过眼睛读心任务来检验观点采择。通过负面、正面和疼痛情绪任务来检验情绪感染。fMRI在一台3T西门子Magnetom Skyra扫描仪中进行，采用组块设计范式。
在以下区域观察到激活：扣带回和丘脑用于正性和负性情绪，楔前叶用于负性情绪和疼痛，顶下小叶用于读心任务和负性情绪，斜坡用于读心和疼痛，楔前叶和额回用于读心任务和面部识别。
MHP组和OP组在行为指标上没有显著差异。然而，在功能成像参数方面，大脑和小脑的激活存在差异。
