Abstract
The right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) is thought to be closely related to theory of mind (ToM) and cognitive empathy. In the present study, we investigated whether these socio-cognitive abilities could be modulated with non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the rTPJ. Participants received anodal (excitatory), cathodal (inhibitory), or sham stimulation before performing a social cognitive task which included inferring other’s intention (the ToM condition) and inferring other’s emotion (the cognitive empathy condition). Our results showed that the accuracy of both ToM and cognitive empathy decreased after receiving the cathodal stimulation, suggesting that altering the cortical excitability in the rTPJ could influence human’s socio-cognitive abilities. The results of this study emphasize the critical role of the rTPJ in ToM and cognitive empathy and demonstrate that these socio-cognitive abilities could be modulated by the tDCS.
Highlights
Successful human social interaction mostly depends on the understanding of others’ mental states, which are built on the social abilities such as theory of mind (ToM) and cognitive empathy
The present study assessed the potential effect of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) on ToM and cognitive empathy
Our findings indicate that the accuracy of both ToM and cognitive empathy decreased after receiving the cathodal stimulation, suggesting that altering the cortical excitability in the rTPJ could influence human’s socio-cognitive abilities
Summary
Successful human social interaction mostly depends on the understanding of others’ mental states, which are built on the social abilities such as theory of mind (ToM) and cognitive empathy. ToM is the central function of human social cognition, referring to the ability to attribute other’s mental states, such as beliefs and intentions (Frith and Frith, 1999). It can help us understand observable actions by inferring agents’ mental representations. Affective empathy is the ability to share the emotional experience of others (“I feel what you feel”) It is different from cognitive empathy which is the capacity to understand other’s perspective or mental states (Preston and de Waal, 2002; Shamay-Tsoory et al, 2009; Schnell et al, 2011). Since ToM and cognitive empathy have an overlap in concept, they might recruit common brain regions
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