The effects of prior pain experience on neural correlates of empathy for pain: An fMRI study.

Neuroimaging studies have revealed partially shared neural substrates for both the actual experience of pain and empathy elicited by the pain of others. We examined whether prior pain exposure increased neural activity in the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and bilateral anterior insula (AI) as a correlate of empathy for pain. Participants (N = 64: 32 women, 32 men) viewed pictures displaying exposure to pressure pain (pain pictures) and pictures without any cue of pain (neutral pictures). Prior to the experiment, half of the participants were exposed to the same pain stimulus as the one seen in the pain pictures (pain exposure condition); the other half had no such experience (touch exposure condition). A balanced sex ratio was kept, to investigate possible sex differences. In the region-of-interest analyses, participants of the pain exposure condition showed decreased activity in the right AI and the aMCC relative to participants of the touch exposure condition. While in men, no differences were found in relation to their exposure condition, women with pain exposure showed decreased activity in the aMCC and additionally, in bilateral AI. Based on the entire sample, whole brain analyses revealed stronger activation in the retrosplenial cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex in the pain exposure condition. In conclusion, prior pain exposure did not increase, but decreased activity in regions regularly associated with empathy for pain. However, pain experience increased activity in regions associated with memory retrieval, perspective taking, and top-down emotion regulation, which might facilitate empathizing with others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Accession Number: 2013-06909-016. PMID: 23318128 Partial author list: First Author & Affiliation: Preis, Mira A.; Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Georg-Elias-Mueller Institute of Psychology, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany. Other Publishers: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Release Date: 20130701. Correction Date: 20160421. Publication Type: Journal (0100), Peer Reviewed Journal (0110). Format Covered: Electronic. Document Type: Journal Article. Language: English. Major Descriptor: Cerebral Cortex; Empathy; Pain; Insula. Minor Descriptor: Prefrontal Cortex. Classification: Neuropsychology & Neurology (2520). Population: Human (10); Male (30); Female (40). Location: Germany. Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older) (300); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs) (320); Thirties (30-39 yrs) (340). Tests & Measures: Interpersonal Reactivity Index–German Version. Methodology: Brain Imaging; Empirical Study; Quantitative Study. Supplemental Data: Tables and Figures Internet. References Available: Y. Page Count: 8. Issue Publication Date: Mar, 2013. Publication History: Accepted Date: Nov 29, 2012; Revised Date: Nov 22, 2012; First Submitted Date: Jul 5, 2012. Copyright Statement: Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. International Association for the Study of Pain. 2012.