Yang Zonghan, Xie Li, Zhang Bingyuan, Hu Suwan, Liu Cunming, Wu Zifeng, Yang Chun
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China; Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210031, China.
Neuropharmacology. 2025 Mar 1;265:110268. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110268. Epub 2024 Dec 12.
Empathy is the capacity to understand and share the experiences of others. This ability fosters connections between individuals, enriching the fabric of our shared world. One notable example is empathy for the pain of others. Such experiences facilitate the identification of potential dangers, both for oneself and for others. Neuroimaging studies have helped to pinpoint brain regions that modulate empathic pain. Recently, there has also been a surge in studies exploring the neural mechanisms of empathic pain in rodent models. Neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism, psychosis, and schizophrenia often exhibit empathy deficits. Targeting the modulation of empathic pain holds potential for alleviating core symptoms in these patients. Interestingly, empathy research may also benefit pain management, leading to new approaches for understanding the negative emotions associated with pain. This review summarizes recent advances in neuroimaging for the study of empathic pain, outlines the underlying neurocircuit mechanisms, describes therapeutic strategies, and explores promising avenues for future research. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Empathic Pain".
同理心是理解和分享他人经历的能力。这种能力促进了个体之间的联系，丰富了我们共同世界的结构。一个显著的例子是对他人痛苦的同理心。此类经历有助于识别对自己和他人的潜在危险。神经影像学研究有助于确定调节共情疼痛的脑区。最近，探索啮齿动物模型中共情疼痛神经机制的研究也激增。自闭症、精神病和精神分裂症等神经精神疾病常常表现出同理心缺陷。针对共情疼痛的调节有望缓解这些患者的核心症状。有趣的是，同理心研究也可能有益于疼痛管理，从而产生理解与疼痛相关负面情绪的新方法。本综述总结了共情疼痛研究中神经影像学的最新进展，概述了潜在的神经回路机制，描述了治疗策略，并探索了未来研究的有前景的途径。本文是“共情疼痛”特刊的一部分。
