Pain Observation, Empathy, and the Sensorimotor System: Behavioural and Neurophysiological Explorations

Previous research has established that observing another in pain activates both affective and sensorimotor cortical activity that is also present during the first-hand experience of pain. Some researchers have taken this “mirroring” response as indicative of empathic processing. However, very little work has explored the downstream behavioral effects of empathic pain observation. The aim of this dissertation is to begin to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between empathic pain observation, overt motor behaviours, and sensorimotor activity. In chapters 2-4, I provide robust evidence that observing pain inflicted on another person leads to faster reaction time responses. This effect is shown to be temporally extended (by at least 500ms after pain observation), effector-general (affecting both finger and foot responses), influenced by top-down (i.e., instructions to explicitly empathize) but not bottom-up (i.e., the perceived level of pain) factors, and is not influenced by adaptive (approach/withdraw) behaviours. In chapter 5, I show that sensorimotor activity, measured via TMS-induced Motor Evoked Potentials, increases while observing another in pain regardless whether the observer is preparing to make an action vs. passively observing the stimuli. These results run counter to the literature, and I provide several explanations for why these results were found. Lastly, in chapter 6, I show that sensorimotor activity, measured via Mu and Beta suppression, also increases while observing another in pain regardless whether the observer is preparing to make an action vs. passively observing the stimuli. Interestingly, I do not find significant correlations between sensorimotor activity during pain observation and faster reaction times after pain observation. I embed these findings in relation to the wider social neuroscience of empathy literature and discuss several limitations and challenges in empirically measuring “empathy” as a psychological construct. Overall, this dissertation furthers our understanding of empathy for pain by highlighting the behavioural consequences of pain observation and its connection (or rather, lack thereof) to sensorimotor activity during pain observation.ThesisDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)Past research suggests that overlapping brain activity during the first-hand experience of pain and pain observation may be indicative of empathy. However, very little work has been done to explore how pain observation influences overt behaviours. This thesis investigates this issue by having participants complete a reaction time task while watching videos of needles stabbing a person’s hand. The findings reported in this thesis suggests that observing another in pain facilitates motor behaviours (i.e., faster reaction times); this facilitation extends 500ms after pain observation, affects both the hand and feet, is accentuated by instructing participants to explicitly empathize, and is not influenced by approach vs. withdraw movements. Brain activity in the motor system was also found to increase during pain observation. Overall, this thesis begins the discussion of how empathic pain observation influences explicit motor behaviours, and how such behaviours may be related to brain activity

Welcome home! Introducing SocSES: a society for inclusive and impactful social-ecological research

Underpinned by systemic thinking, social-ecological systems (SES) research has emerged as a critical field for addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene, marked by a cross-scale focus, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, and a strong emphasis on place-based work. Thanks to the efforts of many networks and institutes, the field has advanced new theoretical and methodological approaches, fostered dedicated journals, and spurred educational programs. It has also significantly influenced sustainability initiatives and policy from local to global scales, and has richly informed place-based efforts. Despite this progress, SES research faces persistent challenges, including conceptual and methodological fragmentation, difficulty in scaling localized insights to global frameworks (and vice versa), and capturing cross-scale connections and processes while retaining contextual relevance. Inclusivity also remains a critical issue, with regional, Indigenous, and local contributions often underrepresented, as there is still a reliance on short-term, inequitably distributed grant funding for much of the research in the field. This paper introduces the Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES), a global platform designed to build on and connect to the rich legacy of SES networks. SocSES aims to advance and support SES–based research, practice, and action toward a just and sustainable future. We outline how SocSES will provide a home for SES institutes, networks, researchers, and practitioners working at the science-practice-policy interface to connect and amplify existing efforts through thematic streams, regional hubs, an institutional hub, an early-career professionals hub, and synthesis groups. The society will provide a stable infrastructure to foster interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration, enhance the generalizability and policy relevance of SES research, bolster education, research, and knowledge co-production, and support the next generation of SES professionals. By addressing the persistent challenges facing the field and fostering transformative spaces and communities for innovation and action, SocSES aspires to support and leverage SES knowledge as a cornerstone of global sustainability science.Die Forschung zu sozial-ökologischen Systemen (SES) ist zu einem bedeutenden interdisziplinären Feld geworden, das sich mit vernetzten Herausforderungen des Anthropozäns auseinandersetzt. Geprägt von raumbezogener, inter- und transdisziplinärer Forschung hat die SES Forschung neue theoretische und methodische Ansätze vorangetrieben, einschlägige Fachzeitschriften hervorgebracht und Bildungsprogramme angeregt. Basierend auf wichtigen konzeptionellen Fortschritten und den Beiträgen von wegweisenden Forschungsnetzwerken hat das Feld globale Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen wie das Millennium Ecosystem Assessment und die Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services maßgeblich geprägt. Trotz der erzielten Fortschritte sieht sich die SES Forschung weiterhin mit verschiedenen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Dazu gehören die konzeptionelle und methodische Fragmentierung, die Schwierigkeiten bei der Übertragung lokaler Erkenntnisse auf globale Rahmenbedingungen (und umgekehrt), sowie die Erfassung skalenübergreifenden Telekopplungen, ohne dabei die kontextuelle Relevanz zu verlieren. Die inklusive Beteiligung bleibt ein kritisches Thema, in dem regionale, indigene und lokale Beiträge oft unterrepräsentiert sind. Dies liegt daran, dass ein Großteil der Forschung in diesem Bereich nach wie vor auf kurzfristige, ungleich verteilte Fördermittel angewiesen ist. In diesem Artikel wird die Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES) vorgestellt - eine globale Plattform, die auf dem reichen Erbe der SES-Netzwerke aufbauen und daran anknüpfen soll. SocSES hat das Ziel, die Forschung, Praxis und Maßnahmen im Bereich sozial-ökologischer Systeme zu fördern und zu unterstützen, um eine gerechte und nachhaltige Zukunft zu gestalten. Wir skizzieren, wie die SocSES eine Heimat für SES-Institute, -Netzwerke, -Forscher*innen und -Praktiker*innen bieten wird, die an der Schnittstelle von Wissenschaft und Praxis arbeiten. Durch den Aufbau von “thematic streams”, “regional hubs” und “institutional hubs” ist die SocSES eine Vernetzungsplattform für wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs und “synthesis groups”. Die Gesellschaft wird eine stabile Infrastruktur bereitstellen, um die inter- und transdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit zu fördern, die Verallgemeinerbarkeit und politische Relevanz der SES Forschung zu verbessern, Bildung, Forschung und Wissens-Koproduktion zu stärken und die nächste Generation von SES Experten zu unterstützen. Indem SocSES die bestehenden Herausforderungen im Feld angeht und transformative Räume und Gemeinschaften für Innovation fördert, möchte die neu gegründete Gesellschaft das Wissen über sozial-ökologische Systeme als fundamentalen Bestandteil einer globalen Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft stärken und zur Verfügung stellen.La investigación de sistemas socio-ecológicos (SSE) ha surgido como un campo de conocimiento interdisciplinario fundamental para abordar los múltiples desafíos interconectados del Antropoceno. Este campo de conocimiento, caracterizado por la investigación basada en el lugar (place-based), inter- y transdisciplinaria, ha aportado y avanzado nuevos enfoques teóricos y metodológicos, ha promovido la creación de revistas científicas, y estimulado programas educativos. Enraizado en los avances conceptuales y en las contribuciones de redes académicas fundacionales, este campo de conocimiento ha influido significativamente en iniciativas globales para la sostenibilidad, como son la Evaluación de los Ecosistemas de Milenio, la Plataforma Intergubernamental sobre Biodiversidad y Servicios de los Ecosistemas (IPBES). Sin embargo, y a pesar de estos avances, la investigación de SSE sigue enfrentándose a desafíos persistentes, como la fragmentación conceptual y metodológica, la dificultad de trasladar los aprendizajes localizados a marcos globales (y viceversa), y de captar los fenómenos de tele-acoplamiento reteniendo la relevancia del contexto local. Otro aspecto crítico que requiere atención es la inclusión, ya que las contribuciones de conocimientos locales, indígenas y regionales siguen estando sub-representadas, y gran parte de la investigación en este campo sigue dependiendo de financiaciones a corto plazo distribuidas de forma desigual. Este artículo presenta la Sociedad de Sistemas Socio-Ecológicos (SocSES, por sus siglas en inglés), una plataforma global concebida para construir sobre y conectar con el rico legado de las redes que han trabajado y trabajan en SSE. El objetivo de SocSES es fomentar y apoyar la investigación de los SSE, la práctica y la acción basadas en el estudio de SSE para fomentar un futuro sostenible y justo. Aquí esbozamos cómo SocSES proporcionará un ‘hogar’ para institutos, redes, investigadores y profesionales que trabajan con SSE en la interfaz ciencia-práctica-política, permitiendo conectarse y amplificar los esfuerzos existentes a través de líneas temáticas, centros de actividad (‘hubs’) regionales, institucionales y para profesionales en el inicio de su carrera, así como mediante grupos de síntesis. SocSES proveerá de una infraestructura estable para promover colaboración intery transdisciplinaria, promoverá la relevancia política de la investigación de SSE, fomentará la educación, investigación, y co-producción de conocimiento, y apoyará a las generaciones venideras de profesionales en el campo de SSE. Al abordar los retos persistentes a los que se enfrenta el campo de SSE y fomentar espacios y comunidades transformadores para la innovación y la acción, SocSES aspira a apoyar y potenciar el conocimiento sobre SSE como piedra angular de la ciencia de la sostenibilidad global

The institutions of archaic post-modernity and their organizational and managerial consequences: The case of Portugal

The long march of modernization of the Western societies tends to be presented as following a regular sequence: societies and institutions were pre-modern, and then they were modernized, eventually becoming post-modern. Such teleology may provide an incomplete or distorted narrative of societal evolution in many parts of the world, even in the ‘post-modern heartland’ of Western Europe, with Portugal being a case in point. The concept of archaic post-modernity has been developed by a philosopher, José Gil, to show how Portuguese institutions and organizations combine elements of pre-modernity and post-modernity. The notion of an archaic post-modernity is advanced in order to provide an alternative account of the modernization process, which enriches discussion of the varieties of capitalism. Differences in historical experiences create singularities that may be considered in the analysis of culture, management and organization

Observing painful events in others leads to a temporally extended general response facilitation in the self

Excitability in the motor cortex is modulated when we observe other people receiving a painful stimulus (Avenanti et al., 2005). However, the task dependency of this modulation is not well understood, as different paradigms have yielded seemingly different results. Previous neurophysiological work employing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) suggests that watching another person’s hand being pierced by a needle leads to a muscle specific inhibition, assessed via motor evoked potentials. Results from previous behavioural studies suggest that overt behavioural responses are facilitated due to pain observation (Morrison et al., 2007a; 2007b). There are several paradigmatic differences both between typical TMS studies and behavioural studies, and within behavioural studies themselves, that limit our overall understanding of how pain observation affects the motor system. In the current study, we combine elements of typical TMS experimental designs in a behavioural assessment of how pain observation affects overt behavioural responding. Specifically, we examined the muscle specificity, timing, and direction of modulation of motor responses due to pain observation. To assess muscle specificity, we employed pain and non-pain videos from previous TMS studies in a Go/No-Go task in which participants responded by either pressing a key with their index finger or with their foot. To assess timing, we examined response times for Go signals presented at 0ms or 500ms after the video. Results indicate that observation of another individual receiving a painful stimulus leads to a non-effector specific, temporally extended response facilitation (e.g., finger and foot facilitation present at 0ms and 500ms delays), compared to observation of non-pain videos. This behavioural facilitation effect differs from the typical motor inhibition seen in TMS studies, and we argue that the effects of pain observation on the motor system are state-dependent, with different states induced via task instructions. We discuss our results in light of previous work on motor responses to pain observation

Observing painful events in others leads to a temporally extended general response facilitation in the self

Excitability in the motor cortex is modulated when we observe other people receiving a painful stimulus (Avenanti et al., 2005). However, the task dependency of this modulation is not well understood, as different paradigms have yielded seemingly different results. Previous neurophysiological work employing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) suggests that watching another person’s hand being pierced by a needle leads to a muscle specific inhibition, assessed via motor evoked potentials. Results from previous behavioural studies suggest that overt behavioural responses are facilitated due to pain observation (Morrison et al., 2007a; 2007b). There are several paradigmatic differences both between typical TMS studies and behavioural studies, and within behavioural studies themselves, that limit our overall understanding of how pain observation affects the motor system. In the current study, we combine elements of typical TMS experimental designs in a behavioural assessment of how pain observation affects overt behavioural responding. Specifically, we examined the muscle specificity, timing, and direction of modulation of motor responses due to pain observation. To assess muscle specificity, we employed pain and non-pain videos from previous TMS studies in a Go/No-Go task in which participants responded by either pressing a key with their index finger or with their foot. To assess timing, we examined response times for Go signals presented at 0ms or 500ms after the video. Results indicate that observation of another individual receiving a painful stimulus leads to a non-effector specific, temporally extended response facilitation (e.g., finger and foot facilitation present at 0ms and 500ms delays), compared to observation of non-pain videos. This behavioural facilitation effect differs from the typical motor inhibition seen in TMS studies, and we argue that the effects of pain observation on the motor system are state-dependent, with different states induced via task instructions. We discuss our results in light of previous work on motor responses to pain observation

Motor preparation during pain observation does not influence event-related Mu and Beta desynchronization

OSF Page for Galang et al. "Motor preparation during pain observation does not influence event-related Mu and Beta desynchronization