Dealing with others' physical pain reveals variance in empathic processes: Evidence from event-related potentials.

The present work consists of a review of 5 event-related potentials (i.e., ERPs) experiments I conducted, which deal with the multifaceted nature of human empathy for pain (Experiment 1) and variances in empathic processes, as a function of othersâ race (Experiment 2) and othersâ perceived trustworthiness, i.e. driven by facial features (Experiments 4-5), addressed through classical and modified versions of the pain decision task. The classical version of the pain decision task requires participants to decide whether presented stimuli (either pictures of individuals or body parts) receive either painful or neutral stimulation. Furthermore, prior to investigate trustworthiness as modulator of neural empathic response, I adopted in Experiment 3 a different paradigm, namely the change detection task, and a direct neural correlate of the resolution of visual working memory (i.e., VWM) representations to test whether trustworthiness is automatically extracted from faces biasing VWM processing. The main issue of the neuroscientific research on empathy for pain is about its multiple aspects. Indeed, neuroscientific research identified at least two subprocesses constituting empathy: Experience sharing and mentalizing. The former encompasses affective and sensorimotor aspects to inner feel the otherâs emotive state; the latter allows to infer/attribute the otherâs mental state. Experience sharing and mentalizing appear to be at least anatomically dissociated. One important aim of the present thesis is to provide evidence on the possible functional dissociation in the temporal domain. In Experiment 1 I addressed this issue by implementing a new version of the pain decision task. I presented participants with both sensorimotor (picture of a face with either painful or neutral expression) and contextual information (a sentence describing either a painful or neutral context) to highlight the deployment of electrophysiological reaction to pain related to the both subprocesses and I provided evidence of selective engagement of experience sharing and mentalizing into two time-windows. This is the starting point of the present studies on the way of exploring variance in neural empathic response. Previous studies suggested that people are more naturally empathic towards own-race individuals relative to other-race individuals (Avenanti et al., 2010; Xu et al., 2009). In Experiment 2 I provided compelling evidence that such preference is confined to experience sharing. Indeed, mentalizing is responsive to other-race pain. Although implicitly appraised, race of a face is processed quickly and automatically driven by physical facial features. Recently it has been demonstrated that evaluation of perceived individualsâ facial trustworthiness is appraised at first sight (Willis and Todorov, 2006), similarly to race. I hypothesized that trustworthiness, either in computerized faces (Experiment 4) and real faces (Experiment 5) plays another key role in modulating empathy even in the absence of previous knowledge on othersâ personality and social behavior because it can implicitly and quickly shape our social interactions. In an attempt to determine the efficacy of trustworthiness appraisal, I tested in Experiment 3 whether and how standardized physical facial features of trustworthiness (Oosterhof and Todorov, 2008) bias VWM processing even when task-irrelevant

Double dissociation of neural responses supporting perceptual and cognitive components of social cognition: Evidence from processing of others' pain

Models on how perceptual and cognitive information on others' mental states are treated by the cognitive architecture are often framed as duplex models considering two independent systems. In the context of the neuroscience of empathy analogous systems have been described. Using event-related potentials (i.e., ERPs) technique, we tested the hypothesis of temporal dissociation of two functional systems. We implemented a design in which perceptual (i.e., painful or neutral facial expressions) and contextual (i.e., painful or neutral related sentences) cues on others' mental states were orthogonally manipulated. Painful expressions selectively modulated the early activity at 110\u2013360 ms over fronto-central and centro-parietal regions, whereas painful contexts selectively modulated the late activity at 400\u2013840 ms over these same regions. Notably, the reactions to pain triggered by these cues added up when both were available, that is the joint reaction was characterized by additive effects. These findings favor a model assuming distinct neural paths of perceptual and cognitive processing, at least when the cognitive component is triggered by language

Out of sight out of mind: Perceived physical distance between the observer and someone in pain shapes observer's neural empathic reactions

Social and affective relations may shape empathy to others' affective states. Previous studies also revealed that people tend to form very different mental representations of stimuli on the basis of their physical distance. In this regard, embodied cognition and embodied simulation propose that different physical distances between individuals activate different interpersonal processing modes, such that close physical distance tends to activate the interpersonal processing mode typical of socially and affectively close relationships. In Experiment 1, two groups of participants were administered a pain decision task involving upright and inverted face stimuli painfully or neutrally stimulated, and we monitored their neural empathic reactions by means of event-related potentials (ERPs) technique. Crucially, participants were presented with face stimuli of one of two possible sizes in order to manipulate retinal size and perceived physical distance, roughly corresponding to the close and far portions of social distance. ERPs modulations compatible with an empathic reaction were observed only for the group exposed to face stimuli appearing to be at a close social distance from the participants. This reaction was absent in the group exposed to smaller stimuli corresponding to face stimuli observed from a far social distance. In Experiment 2, one different group of participants was engaged in a match-to-sample task involving the two-size upright face stimuli of Experiment 1 to test whether the modulation of neural empathic reaction observed in Experiment 1 could be ascribable to differences in the ability to identify faces of the two different sizes. Results suggested that face stimuli of the two sizes could be equally identifiable. In line with the Construal Level and Embodied Simulation theoretical frameworks, we conclude that perceived physical distance may shape empathy as well as social and affective distance

Parametric Representation of the Architectural Orders: Testing of Parametric Modelling for Simulation and Interpretation of Classical Architecture

The Architectural Orders have always occupied a key role in architectural doctrine. During the Renaissance, after the rediscovery of the Vitruvian text, each of the most famous architects gave their own interpretation of composition and proportion with respect to the Orders. After a careful analysis of some of the main treaties, it has been necessary to determine a unified interpretation of the genesis of the Orders and to create a single digital model that could be declinable in various versions. By advanced digital techniques, it was possible to generate a representative algorithm in a basic modifiable structure using different parameters. Results are also important due to the direct comparison between authors. The algorithms may also support accurate representations and interpretation of the actual artefact’s shape, allowing us to hypothesize the author’s style and, in case of restoration, to operate in a consistent way

Drug addicted mothers and their empathic reactivity to painful cues.

Introduction: Mother-infant relationship is crucial for offspring\u2019s development. Substance-abuse has been shown to affect adults\u2019 ability to care for their children, in particular in the affective- relational aspects of parenting, such as the attachment bond and the ability to provide protection. Surprisingly, no previous study has explored neural responses associated with empathy towards children\u2019s pain in mothers with such history. Empathy is a more general construct than parenting and deficits in neural empathic responses may better explain failures in caring of addicted mothers. Aims of the study: This study was aimed at investigating the empathic response to pain inflicted by a dangerous tool to hands of kids when compared to neutral situations in a sample of mothers with history of drug-abuse. We used Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) technique to explore the time-course of neural empathic responses to pain by virtue of its excellent time resolution. In particular, we asked whether empathic responses to pain of children would differ in drug-addicted mothers compared to control group, during a relatively automatic early stage of processing or during a more controlled delayed one involving mentalizing. Material and methods: Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been recorded from drug-addicted mothers (i.e., clinical) and control groups to track neural activity in a pain decision task. Stimuli were pictures showing one infant hand in painful (harmful object applied to the hand) and neutral situations (harmful object located close to the hand). Results: Neural empathic responses towards children in pain differed between the two groups such that ERPs diverged between the painful and neutral stimulation at delayed stages of processing only for the clinical group. Conclusions: We interpreted these results as indicating that the control group implicitly judged also the neutral situations involving children as potentially painful supporting a lack of mentalizing abilities in the clinical group when compared with controls

The attentional blink impairs detection and delays encoding of visual information: Evidence from human electrophysiology

This article explores the time course of the functional interplay between detection and encoding stages of information processing in the brain and the role they play in conscious visual perception. We employed a multitarget rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) approach and examined the electrophysiological P3 component elicited by a target terminating an RSVP sequence. Target-locked P3 activity was detected both at frontal and parietal recording sites and an independent component analysis confirmed the presence of two distinct P3 components. The posterior P3b varied with intertarget lag, with diminished amplitude and postponed latency at short relative to long lags—an electroencephalographic signature of the attentional blink (AB). Under analogous conditions, the anterior P3a was also reduced in amplitude but did not vary in latency. Collectively, the results provide an electrophysiological record of the interaction between frontal and posterior components linked to detection (P3a) and encoding (P3b) of visual information. Our findings suggest that, although the AB delays target encoding into working memory, it does not slow down detection of a target but instead reduces the efficacy of this process. A functional characterization of P3a in attentive tasks is discussed with reference to current models of the AB phenomenon

Long-term continuous monitoring of the preterm brain with diffuse optical tomography and electroencephalography: A technical note on cap manufacturing

open12noDiffuse optical tomography (DOT) has recently proved useful for detecting whole-brain oxygenation changes in preterm and term newborns' brains. The data recording phase in prior explorations was limited up to a maximum of a couple of hours, a time dictated by the need to minimize skin damage caused by the protracted contact with optode holders and interference with concomitant clinical/nursing procedures. In an attempt to extend the data recording phase, we developed a new custom-made cap for multimodal DOT and electroencephalography acquisitions for the neonatal population. The cap was tested on a preterm neonate (28 weeks gestation) for a 7-day continuous monitoring period. The cap was well tolerated by the neonate, who did not suffer any evident discomfort and/or skin damage. Montage and data acquisition using our cap was operated by an attending nurse with no difficulty. DOT data quality was remarkable, with an average of 92% of reliable channels, characterized by the clear presence of the heartbeat in most of them.openopenAlfonso Galderisi; Sabrina Brigadoi; Simone Cutini; Sara Basso Moro; Elisabetta Lolli; Federica Meconi; Silvia Benavides-Varela; Eugenio Baraldi; Piero Amodio; Claudio Cobelli; Daniele Trevisanuto; Roberto Dell'AcquaGalderisi, Alfonso; Brigadoi, Sabrina; Cutini, Simone; BASSO MORO, Sara; Lolli, Elisabetta; Meconi, Federica; Silvia, Benavides-Varela; Baraldi, Eugenio; Amodio, Piero; Cobelli, Claudio; Trevisanuto, Daniele; Dell'Acqua, Robert

Dealing with others' physical pain reveals variance in empathic processes: Evidence from event-related potentials.

The present work consists of a review of 5 event-related potentials (i.e., ERPs) experiments I conducted, which deal with the multifaceted nature of human empathy for pain (Experiment 1) and variances in empathic processes, as a function of othersâ race (Experiment 2) and othersâ perceived trustworthiness, i.e. driven by facial features (Experiments 4-5), addressed through classical and modified versions of the pain decision task. The classical version of the pain decision task requires participants to decide whether presented stimuli (either pictures of individuals or body parts) receive either painful or neutral stimulation. Furthermore, prior to investigate trustworthiness as modulator of neural empathic response, I adopted in Experiment 3 a different paradigm, namely the change detection task, and a direct neural correlate of the resolution of visual working memory (i.e., VWM) representations to test whether trustworthiness is automatically extracted from faces biasing VWM processing. The main issue of the neuroscientific research on empathy for pain is about its multiple aspects. Indeed, neuroscientific research identified at least two subprocesses constituting empathy: Experience sharing and mentalizing. The former encompasses affective and sensorimotor aspects to inner feel the otherâs emotive state; the latter allows to infer/attribute the otherâs mental state. Experience sharing and mentalizing appear to be at least anatomically dissociated. One important aim of the present thesis is to provide evidence on the possible functional dissociation in the temporal domain. In Experiment 1 I addressed this issue by implementing a new version of the pain decision task. I presented participants with both sensorimotor (picture of a face with either painful or neutral expression) and contextual information (a sentence describing either a painful or neutral context) to highlight the deployment of electrophysiological reaction to pain related to the both subprocesses and I provided evidence of selective engagement of experience sharing and mentalizing into two time-windows. This is the starting point of the present studies on the way of exploring variance in neural empathic response. Previous studies suggested that people are more naturally empathic towards own-race individuals relative to other-race individuals (Avenanti et al., 2010; Xu et al., 2009). In Experiment 2 I provided compelling evidence that such preference is confined to experience sharing. Indeed, mentalizing is responsive to other-race pain. Although implicitly appraised, race of a face is processed quickly and automatically driven by physical facial features. Recently it has been demonstrated that evaluation of perceived individualsâ facial trustworthiness is appraised at first sight (Willis and Todorov, 2006), similarly to race. I hypothesized that trustworthiness, either in computerized faces (Experiment 4) and real faces (Experiment 5) plays another key role in modulating empathy even in the absence of previous knowledge on othersâ personality and social behavior because it can implicitly and quickly shape our social interactions. In an attempt to determine the efficacy of trustworthiness appraisal, I tested in Experiment 3 whether and how standardized physical facial features of trustworthiness (Oosterhof and Todorov, 2008) bias VWM processing even when task-irrelevant.Nel presente elaborato sono descritti una serie di 5 esperimenti, condotti con la tecnica dei potenziali evento-relati (Event-Related Potentials, ERPs). E' stata indagata la natura multisfaccettata della empatia umana per il dolore (Esperimento 1) e la sua variabilità in funzione della razza (Esperimento 2) e dell'affidabilità  di un volto (Esperimenti 4 e 5). Il paradigma classicamente impiegato in questo tipo di studi è il compito di decisione del dolore in cui viene richiesto ai partecipanti di dire se l'individuo che si osserva (o parti del suo corpo) sta subendo una stimolazione dolorosa oppure neutra. Inoltre, prima di indagare se l'affidabilità  potesse modulare la risposta empatica, è stato condotto l'Esperimento 3 per testare se le caratteristiche fisiche di affidabilità  fossero automaticamente estratte da un volto influenzandone l'elaborazione in memoria di lavoro visiva (MLV). E' stato impiegato un diverso paradigma, il compito di rilevamento del cambiamento, e un correlato neurale diretto della risoluzione delle rappresentazioni in MLV. La ricerca neuroscientifica sull'empatia al dolore si è focalizzata principalmente sulla natura multicomponenziale di questa capacità . Sono stati identificati almeno due sotto processi dell'empatia anatomicamente dissociati: l'experience sharing e il mentalizing. Il primo include gli aspetti più affettivi e legati al contagio sensorimotorio che permettono di sentire internamente lo stato emotivo dell'altro; il secondo si riferisce alla capacità  di inferire gli stati mentali altrui. Un importante scopo del presente elaborato è quello di fornire evidenza empirica di una loro possibile dissociazione anche funzionale, nel dominio temporale. Nell' Esperimento 1 è stato indagato questo aspetto implementando una specifica versione del compito di decisione del dolore. Ai partecipanti sono state presentate sia un'informazione sensorimotoria (una faccia con espressione neutra o di dolore) che un' informazione contestuale (la descrizione di un contesto neutro o di dolore) nella stessa prova sperimentale per evidenziare il decorso temporale della reazione elettrofisiologica al dolore legata ad entrambi i sotto processi dell'empatia. Si è così dimostrata una selettiva attivazione dell'experience sharing e del mentalizing in due diverse finestre temporali. Sulla base di questi risultati è stato possibile esplorare la variabilità della risposta empatica a diversi tipi di stimoli esterni. Precedenti studi hanno suggerito che le persone sono più empatiche nei confronti del dolore subito da un individuo appartenente alla nostra stessa razza rispetto ad individui appartenenti ad altre razze (Avenanti et al., 2010; Xu et al., 2009). Nell' Esperimento 2 è stato dimostrato che questa risposta preferenziale è confinata ai meccanismi dell'experience sharing. Il mentalizing mostra infatti una risposta empatica anche verso il dolore di individui di un'altra razza. Sebbene la valutazione della razza di un volto sia implicita, questa viene elaborata in modo automatico e veloce sulla base delle caratteristiche fisiche di un volto. Recentemente è stato dimostrato che anche la valutazione di affidabilità di un volto avviene a prima vista (Willis e Todorov, 2006) similmente alla razza. E' stato così ipotizzato che l'affidabilità , sia in volti computerizzati (Esperimento 4) che in volti reali (Esperimento 5) modulasse l'empatia, anche in assenza di una conoscenza della personalità  di dell'individuo o del suo comportamento sociale, perchè questa può implicitamente e velocemente influenzare le nostre interazioni sociali. Per determinare l'efficacia della valutazione di affidabilità  (Oosterhof and Todorov, 2008), nell'Esperimento 3 è stato testato l'impatto delle caratteristiche fisiche standardizzate di affidabilità  sulle rappresentazioni in MLV, anche quando irrilevanti ai fini del compito

Visual and Spatial Components of Visual Working Memory Representations: An ERP study

We investigated the contribution of visual and spatial working memory (WM) subsystems in building a visual WM representation. To this aim we tested 15 participants in a color-change detection task by monitoring an electrophysiological marker of visual WM capacity: The Sustained Posterior Contralateral Negativity (SPCN). We compared two spatial arrangements of 2, 4 and 6 colored squares: 1. randomly positioned on a visual display or 2. organized in accordance with the Gestalt grouping principle of proximity. Behavioral results showed no significant differences between the two spatial arrangements. Notably, when compared the same number of stimuli, electrophysiological results showed larger SPCN amplitude in the random arrangement than in the organized arrangement. In addition, no significant interaction between spatial arrangement and the number of stimuli was observed. These data support the independence of the two distinct WM subsystems in building a visual WM representation