Altered Functional Connectivity of the Default Mode Network in Low-Empathy Subjects

• Published in: Yonsei medical journal Vol. 58; no. 5; pp. 1061 - 1065
• Main Authors: Kim, Seung Jun, Kim, Sung-Eun, Kim, Hyo Eun, Han, Kiwan, Jeong, Bumseok, Kim, Jae-Jin, Namkoong, Kee, Kim, Ji-Woong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Yonsei University College of Medicine 01.09.2017; 연세대학교의과대학
• Subjects: Brain Mapping; Brief Communication; Demography; Empathy; Female; Gyrus Cinguli - physiology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Nerve Net - physiology; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Young Adult; 의학일반; magnetic resonance imaging; Empathy; medial prefrontal cortex; functional neuroimaging; anterior cingulate cortex
• ISSN: 0513-5796; 1976-2437; 1976-2437
• DOI: 10.3349/ymj.2017.58.5.1061

Empathy is the ability to identify with or make a vicariously experience of another person's feelings or thoughts based on memory and/or self-referential mental simulation. The default mode network in particular is related to self-referential empathy. In order to elucidate the possible neural mechanisms underlying empathy, we investigated the functional connectivity of the default mode network in subjects from a general population. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 19 low-empathy subjects and 18 medium-empathy subjects. An independent component analysis was used to identify the default mode network, and differences in functional connectivity strength were compared between the two groups. The low-empathy group showed lower functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann areas 9 and 32) within the default mode network, compared to the medium-empathy group. The results of the present study suggest that empathy is related to functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex within the default mode network. Functional decreases in connectivity among low-empathy subjects may reflect an impairment of self-referential mental simulation.