Using resting-state DMN effective connectivity to characterize the neurofunctional architecture of empathy

Sofia Esménio,Peter Zeidman,Óscar F Gonçalves,Adeel Razi,P Oliveira-Silva,Karl Friston,José M Soares,Joana Coutinho

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-38801-6

Abstract

Neuroimaging studies in social neuroscience have largely relied on functional connectivity (FC) methods to characterize the functional integration between different brain regions. However, these methods have limited utility in social-cognitive studies that aim to understand the directed information flow among brain areas that underlies complex psychological processes. In this study we combined functional and effective connectivity approaches to characterize the functional integration within the Default Mode Network (DMN) and its role in self-perceived empathy. Forty-two participants underwent a resting state fMRI scan and completed a questionnaire of dyadic empathy. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) showed that higher empathy scores were associated with an increased contribution of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the DMN spatial mode. Dynamic causal modelling (DCM) combined with Canonical Variance Analysis (CVA) revealed that this association was mediated indirectly by the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) via the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). More specifically, in participants with higher scores in empathy, the PCC had a greater effect on bilateral IPL and the right IPL had a greater influence on mPFC. These results highlight the importance of using analytic approaches that address directed and hierarchical connectivity within networks, when studying complex psychological phenomena, such as empathy.

Highlights

Neuroimaging studies have made important contributions to our understanding of the neural basis of several psychological processes (e.g.1–3)
The current study examined the extent to which individual differences in self-reports of dyadic empathy were reflected in functional integration within the Default Mode Network (DMN)
Our results showed significant correlations between DMN’s functional architecture and self-reported dyadic empathy

Summary

Introduction

Neuroimaging studies have made important contributions to our understanding of the neural basis of several psychological processes (e.g.1–3). The utility of functional connectivity methods is limited in social-cognitive studies, where the goal is to infer specific mental processes (e.g., theory of mind) from observed patterns of regional responses (e.g., in the temporal parietal junction and medial prefrontal areas). This inference is complicated by the fact that a single brain region is often recruited by a wide range of psychological processes and a given cognitive process may recruit more than one brain region[8,9,10]. By allowing one partner to share and understand the other internal states, empathy is essential for stable and satisfactory couples relationships[25,26]

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Results

Conclusion