Empathy and Inter-brain Synchrony During Online Collaboration

Tavoitteet. Tutkimustietoa heikentyneistä empatiataidoista tietokonevälitteisen vuorovaikutuksen aikana on runsaasti. Myös empatiakykyjen neuraalisesta perustasta tiedetään jo melko paljon. Tietoa siitä, miten puutteet empatiataidoissa näkyvät aivotoiminnan tasolla ihmisten välisen tietokonevälitteisen vuorovaikutuksen aikana, on kuitenkin huomattavasti vähemmän. Aivojen sähköisen toiminnan on löydetty synkronoituvan kasvokkain yhteistyötä tekevien henkilöiden välillä, ja tämä synkronia näyttäisi olevan yhteydessä vuorovaikutuksen laatuun. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena onkin selvittää 1) löytyykö samanlaista sähköisen toiminnan synkronoitumista myös tietokonevälitteisen yhteistyön aikana, kun henkilöt eivät ole samassa fyysisessä tilassa 2) onko tietokonevälitteisen yhteistyön aikainen aivojen sähköisen toiminnan synkronoituminen yhteydessä vuorovaikutuksessa olevien henkilöiden empatiakykyihin. Menetelmät. Tutkimuksessa oli mukana 21 paria, joista jokainen muodostui kahdesta koehenkilöstä, jotka tunsivat toisensa, ja päättivät osallistua tutkimukseen yhdessä. Parit suorittivat ensin yksilöllisiä empatiatestejä, jonka jälkeen he saivat tehtäväkseen pelata tietokoneen välityksellä yhdessä autopeliä, jossa toisen tuli säädellä auton ajonopeutta ja toisen auton ajosuuntaa. Tehtävän aikana koehenkilöiden aivojen sähköistä toimintaa mitattiin EEG:n avulla. Henkilöiden välistä aivojen toiminnan synkroniaa tutkittiin tarkastelemalla theta-, alfa-, beta- ja gamma-aktivaation voimakkuuden eroja koehenkilöiden välillä frontaali-, frontosentraali-, sentraali-, parietaali-, temporoparietaali- ja oksipitaalialueilta mitattuna. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Koehenkilöiden väliseen yhteistyöhön liittyvää synkroniaa löytyi theta-taajuuden osalta frontaali-, frontosentraali-, sentraali-, parietaali- ja temporoparietaalialueilta; alfa-taajuuden osalta frontosentraalialueilta; beta-taajuuden osalta frontosentraali-, sentraali-, parietaali-, ja oksipitaalialueilta sekä gamma-taajuuden osalta frontosentraali- ja sentraalialueilta mitattuna. Synkronoitunut aktviaatio näillä taajuuskaistoilla, näiltä alueilta mitattuna näyttäisi olevan tietokonevälitteisen yhteistyön kannalta merkityksellistä. Tilastollisesti merkitseviä yhteyksiä löydetyn synkronian ja empatiataitojen välillä ei löytynyt.Objective. In cognitive neuroscience empathy is defined as a set of skills and tendencies that enables us to interpret and predict the mental states and actions of others and share emotional states and the experience of others. These skills and tendencies are important for successful interaction and in most situations rely heavily on natural social cues. In addition to verbal cues, these natural cues consist of for example facial expressions, bodily gestures, and prosody of speech. Also, a shared environment that enables for example eye contact and joint attention have previously been found beneficial for empathy. However, a growing percentage of our social interaction takes place in online environments where many of these features found important during face-to-face interaction are absent. A great body of evidence exists on the decrease in empathy skills during online compared to face-to-face interaction. A fair amount of research also exists on the neural foundation underlying empathy. Research on how this decrease in empathy processes during online interaction can be observed on the neural level is however limited. One phenomenon found to occur during face-to-face interaction is the synchronization of the brain's electric activity between collaborating individuals. Associations between this neural synchrony and the quality of interaction have also been found. The purpose of this study is to investigate 1) whether inter-brain synchrony occurs during online collaboration in the absence of natural social cues and 2) whether this synchrony is associated with the empathy skills of the collaborating individuals. Methods. The subjects of the study consisted of 21 pairs, each in which the two subjects knew each other in advance and decided to participate in the study together. The subjects first completed individual empathy tests, after which their task was to play a collaborative online car game together in separate physical locations during which one of the subjects was to control the speed while the other was to control the direction of the car. During this task, the neural activity of each subject was measured with EEG. The inter-brain synchrony between the collaborating individuals was studied by investigating the associations of power in the theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands measured over the frontal, frontocentral, central, parietal, temporoparietal, and occipital regions between the two individuals. Results and Conclusions. Inter-brain synchrony specific to collaboration was found in the theta frequency band over the frontal, frontocentral, central, parietal, and temporoparietal regions; in the alpha frequency band over the frontocentral region; in the beta frequency band over the frontocentral, central, parietal, and occipital regions; and in the gamma frequency band over the frontocentral and central regions. This suggests that the synchrony in these frequency bands measured over these regions is related to computer-mediated collaboration. No significant associations were found between the inter-brain synchrony and empathy skills

Collaborative block design task for assessing pair performance in virtual reality and reality

Collaborative problem solving is more important than ever as the problems we try to solve become increasingly complex. Meanwhile, personal and professional communication has moved from face-to-face to computer-mediated environments, but there is little understanding on how the characteristics of these environments affect the quality of interaction and joint problem solving. To develop this understanding, methods are needed for measuring success of collaboration. For this purpose, we created a collaborative block design task intended to evaluate and quantify pair performance. In this task, participants need to share information to complete visuospatial puzzles. Two versions of the task are described: a physical version and one that can be completed in virtual reality. A preliminary study was conducted with the physical version (N = 18 pairs) and the results were used to develop the task for a second study in virtual reality (N = 31 pairs). Performance measures were developed for the task, and we found that pair performance was normally distributed and positively associated with visuospatial skills, but not with other participant-specific background factors. The task specifications are released for the research community to apply and adapt in the study of computer-mediated social interaction.Peer reviewe

Perceptions of Doctors’ Empathy and Patients’ Subjective Health Status at an Online Clinic : Development of an Empathic Anamnesis Questionnaire

Objective Medical doctors' empathy is known to support patients' health status after face-to-face clinical visits. However, the role of doctors' empathy in chat-based encounters is not yet well understood. This study investigates whether patients' evaluations of doctors' empathy are associated with their health perceptions after a meeting at an online clinic and whether experiences of empathy could be enhanced by augmenting an automated anamnesis questionnaire completed before the visit. Methods A total of 209 adult patients agreed to participate in the study. First 103 patients filled out the regular version of the questionnaire (June-August 2019) and then 106 filled out the augmented version of the online anamnesis questionnaire (August-November 2019). Patients' perceptions of doctors' empathy were measured with the Consultation and Relational Empathy questionnaire. Patients' self-perceived health status, potential confounders, and demographic background information were measured via questionnaires. Results Patients' perceptions of doctors' empathy during a chat-based encounter were associated with patients being less concerned about their symptoms (estimated odds ratios varied between 0.45 and 0.55 depending on the model, p values < .003) and considering their symptoms as less severe (estimated odds ratios = 0.54-0.61, p values < .007), as well as a higher probability of alleviation of symptoms as rated by the patients (estimated odds ratios = 2.16-2.24, p values < .001). Augmenting the anamnesis questionnaire did not affect patient reports on doctors' overall empathy, but it did have positive effects on specific areas of doctors' empathy covered by the questionnaire. Conclusions These results show that patients' experience of doctors' empathy not only is important during face-to-face encounters but also supports patients' perceptions of health when the interaction is text based. The results also encourage further development of means to support patients' experiences of empathy during online interaction with medical doctors.Peer reviewe

Inter-brain synchronization occurs without physical co-presence during cooperative online gaming

Inter-brain synchronization during social interaction has been linked with several positive phenomena, including closeness, cooperation, prosociality, and team performance. However, the temporal dynamics of inter-brain synchronization during collaboration are not yet fully understood. Furthermore, with collaboration increasingly happening online, the dependence of inter-brain phase synchronization of oscillatory activity on physical presence is an important but understudied question. In this study, physically isolated participants performed a collaborative coordination task in the form of a cooperative multiplayer game. We measured EEG from 42 subjects working together as pairs in the task. During the measurement, the only interaction between the participants happened through on-screen movement of a racing car, controlled by button presses of both participants working with distinct roles, either controlling the speed or the direction of the car. Pairs working together in the task were found to have elevated neural coupling in the alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands, compared to performance matched false pairs. Higher gamma synchrony was associated with better momentary performance within dyads and higher alpha synchrony was associated with better mean performance across dyads. These results are in line with previous findings of increased inter-brain synchrony during interaction, and show that phase synchronization of oscillatory activity occurs during online real-time joint coordination without any physical co-presence or video and audio connection. Synchrony decreased during a playing session, but was found to be higher during the second session compared to the first. The novel paradigm, developed for the measurement of real-time collaborative performance, demonstrates that changes in inter-brain EEG phase synchrony can be observed continuously during interaction.Peer reviewe

Are you there? : Presence in collaborative distance work

doi linkki ei toimi 31.1.2022, ilmoitettu lehteen/USAlready before the pandemic, digitally mediated collaborative work and communication were perceived as challenging. We investigate the attitudes towards emerging technologies and for transforming practises in workplaces. The focus lies on understanding the readiness for appropriating emotional tracking on presence and support for collaboration. The research-based design framework allowed to combine the various perspectives of the transdisciplinary team. Methods included participatory design, design thinking, contextual inquiry and prototype testing for enhancing presence while working with shared objects in video conferencing to explore the appropriation of tools. The findings revealed four indications: 1) awareness of interlocutors’ presence during synchronous communication is crucial. 2) Emotion and behaviour tracking raises concerns about privacy and personal control over what is displayed to others, and technology could be simpler non-distracting the work at hand. 3) The prototype was found to enhance the feeling of presence without disturbing work at hand, and 4) appropriation requires a step-by-step approach.Peer reviewe

Inter-brain synchronization occurs without physical co-presence during cooperative online gaming

Inter-brain synchronization during social interaction has been linked with several positive phenomena, including closeness, cooperation, prosociality, and team performance. However, the temporal dynamics of inter-brain synchronization during collaboration are not yet fully understood. Furthermore, with collaboration increasingly happening online, the dependence of inter-brain phase synchronization of oscillatory activity on physical presence is an important but understudied question. In this study, physically isolated participants performed a collaborative coordination task in the form of a cooperative multiplayer game. We measured EEG from 42 subjects working together as pairs in the task. During the measurement, the only interaction between the participants happened through on-screen movement of a racing car, controlled by button presses of both participants working with distinct roles, either controlling the speed or the direction of the car. Pairs working together in the task were found to have elevated neural coupling in the alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands, compared to performance matched false pairs. Higher gamma synchrony was associated with better momentary performance within dyads and higher alpha synchrony was associated with better mean performance across dyads. These results are in line with previous findings of increased inter-brain synchrony during interaction, and show that phase synchronization of oscillatory activity occurs during online real-time joint coordination without any physical co-presence or video and audio connection. Synchrony decreased during a playing session, but was found to be higher during the second session compared to the first. The novel paradigm, developed for the measurement of real-time collaborative performance, demonstrates that changes in inter-brain EEG phase synchrony can be observed continuously during interaction

Structure-based classification of tauopathies

Ordered assembly of tau protein into filaments characterizes multiple neurodegenerative diseases, which are called tauopathies. We previously reported that by electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM), tau filament structures from Alzheimer’s disease (1,2), Pick’s disease (3), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) (4) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) (5) are distinct. Here we show that the structures of tau filaments from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) define a novel three-layered fold. Moreover, the tau filament structures from globular glial tauopathy (GGT) are similar to those from PSP. The tau filament fold of argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) differs from the above and resembles the four-layered CBD fold. The AGD fold is also observed in aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG). Tau protofilament structures from inherited cases with mutations +3 or +16 in intron 10 of MAPT, the microtubule-associated protein tau gene, are also identical to those from AGD, suggesting that relative overproduction of four-repeat tau can give rise to the AGD fold. Finally, tau filament structures from cases of familial British dementia (FBD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are the same as those from Alzheimer’s disease and primary age-related tauopathy (PART). These findings suggest a hierarchical classification of tauopathies based on their filament folds, which complements clinical diagnosis and neuropathology, and allows identification of new entities, as we show for a case diagnosed as PSP, but with filament structures that are intermediate between those of GGT and PSP

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Methods for interpreting lists of affected genes obtained in a DNA microarray experiment

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to describe and compare the methods used and the results obtained by the participants in a joint EADGENE (European Animal Disease Genomic Network of Excellence) and SABRE (Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Breeding) workshop focusing on post analysis of microarray data. The participating groups were provided with identical lists of microarray probes, including test statistics for three different contrasts, and the normalised log-ratios for each array, to be used as the starting point for interpreting the affected probes. The data originated from a microarray experiment conducted to study the host reactions in broilers occurring shortly after a secondary challenge with either a homologous or heterologous species of Eimeria. RESULTS: Several conceptually different analytical approaches, using both commercial and public available software, were applied by the participating groups. The following tools were used: Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, MAPPFinder, LIMMA, GOstats, GOEAST, GOTM, Globaltest, TopGO, ArrayUnlock, Pathway Studio, GIST and AnnotationDbi. The main focus of the approaches was to utilise the relation between probes/genes and their gene ontology and pathways to interpret the affected probes/genes. The lack of a well-annotated chicken genome did though limit the possibilities to fully explore the tools. The main results from these analyses showed that the biological interpretation is highly dependent on the statistical method used but that some common biological conclusions could be reached. CONCLUSION: It is highly recommended to test different analytical methods on the same data set and compare the results to obtain a reliable biological interpretation of the affected genes in a DNA microarray experimen