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Anterior Insula
Cue-based experiments
Picture-based experiments
Empathy, and corresponding insula activation, are modulated by individual traits such as alexithymia
Singer et al., Science, 2006; Bernhardt & Singer, Ann. Rev. Neurosci., 2012
Singer et al., Science, 2006; Bernhardt & Singer, Ann. Rev. Neurosci., 2012
Hein et al., Neuron, 2010; Bernhardt & Singer, Ann. Rev. Neurosci., 2012
Hein et al., Neuron, 2010; Bernhardt & Singer, Ann. Rev. Neurosci., 2012
Empathy for pain in loved-one vs. stranger engage different brain regions
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Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET): testing Mentalizing abilities
Functional neural plasticity and associated changes in positive affect after compassion training
Klimecki, Leiberg, Lamm & Singer, Cerebral Cortex 2013
Study design
1835 year-old females 1-day (6-hr) course in loving-kindness meditation Guided practices of 1530 min each Participants kept practicing for a few additional hours, during evening classes, laboratory assessments (3x45 min), and at home. Control group: Memory training.
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Changes in positive affect, negative affect, and empathy after Compassion or Memory training
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Differential pattern of functional brain plasticity after compassion and empathy training
Klimecki, Leiberg, Ricard & Singer, Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience 2013
Empathy, compassion, memory training: different effects on empathy- and compassion-related brain regions
Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, nonmeditative state
Desbordes, Negi, Pace, Wallace, Raison & Schwartz, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
Compassion Meditation
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Compassion Meditation
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Control
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Compassion
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Study design
COM: Loving-kindness and compassion training, inspired from Tibetan tradition, similar to CBCT REA: Active control: Reappraisal technique (from CBT) 2 weeks, 30-min per day (guided practice) Healthy 18-45 y.o., N=20 COM, N=21 REA. PRE and POST: fMRI task: watch IAPS images (suffering or neutral) while applying training (COM or REA) POST only: play redistribution game with real players over the Internet
Hypotheses
2 brain systems for empathy:
Experience sharing (putting yourself in someone elses shoes) Mentalizing (social inferences and self-referential processes)
Redistribution game
Conclusions
Compassion trainees were more altruistic in redistribution game than reappraisal trainees In COM group, greater redistribution was associated with greater activation in right inferior parietal cortex when watching IAPS images of suffering (vs. neutral images) while evoking compassion. (No such association in REA group.) Similar effect in R DLPFC (with opposite (!) association in REA group). In COM group, greater redistribution tended to be associated (N/S) with higher DLPFC-NAcc connectivity: maybe increased positive appraisal of aversive stimuli, e.g. enhancing the reward value of the victims well-being (e.g., caring) and increasing the anticipated reward of helping the victim. In REA group, lower redistribution was significantly associated with higher DLPFC-NAcc connectivity: goal was to decrease personal negative emotions?