Search Results (12)

Empathy has been linked to enhanced processing of social information, yet the neurophysiological correlates of such individual differences remain underexplored. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate how individual differences in trait empathy are reflected in oscillatory brain activity during the perception of non-verbal social cues. Methods: In this EEG study involving 30 participants, we examined spectral and time–frequency dynamics associated with trait empathy during a visual task requiring the interpretation of others’ body gestures. Results: FFT Power spectral analyses (applied to alpha/mu, beta, high beta, and gamma bands) revealed that individuals with high empathy quotients (High-EQ) exhibited a tendency for increased beta-band activity over frontal regions and markedly decreased alpha-band activity over occipito-parietal areas compared to their low-empathy counterparts (Low-EQ), suggesting heightened attentional engagement and reduced cortical inhibition during social information processing. Similarly, time–frequency analysis using Morlet wavelets showed higher alpha power in Low-EQ than High-EQ people over occipital sites, with no group differences in mu suppression or desynchronization (ERD) over central sites, challenging prior claims linking mu ERD to mirror neuron activity in empathic processing. These findings align with recent literature associating frontal beta oscillations with top-down attentional control and emotional regulation, and posterior alpha with vigilance and sensory disengagement. Conclusions: Our results indicate that empathic traits are differentially reflected in anterior and posterior oscillatory dynamics, supporting the notion that individuals high in empathy deploy greater cognitive and attentional resources when decoding non-verbal social cues. These neural patterns may underlie their superior ability to interpret body language and mental states from visual input. Full article

This present study investigates emotion recognition in children and adults and its association with EQ and motor empathy. Overall, 58 children (33 5–6-year-olds, 25 7–9-year-olds) and 61 adults (24 young adults, 37 parents) participated in this study. Each participant received an EQ questionnaire and completed the dynamic emotion expression recognition task, where participants were asked to identify four basic emotions (happy, sad, fearful, and angry) from neutral to fully expressed states, and the motor empathy task, where participants’ facial muscle activity was recorded. The results showed that “happy” was the easiest expression for all ages; 5- to 6-year-old children performed equally well as adults. The accuracies for “fearful,” “angry,” and “sad” expressions were significantly lower in children than in adults. For motor empathy, 7- to 9-year-old children exhibited the highest level of facial muscle activity, while the young adults showed the lowest engagement. Importantly, individual EQ scores positively correlated with the motor empathy index in adults but not in children. In sum, our study echoes the previous literature, showing that the identification of negative emotions is still difficult for children aged 5–9 but that this improves in late childhood. Our results also suggest that stronger facial mimicry responses are positively related to a higher level of empathy in adults. Full article

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders affecting virtually every population, regardless of their ethnic or socioeconomic background. Their pathogenesis is multifactorial, based on interactions between genetic and environmental factors. The key symptom of ASD are deficits in social communication, which are the basis of many difficulties in everyday functioning. The aim of the presented study was to analyze the clinical picture of social cognition deficits in boys with autism spectrum disorders and to relate its elements with the frequency of alleles of selected polymorphisms within the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A) genes. The study included 58 boys with IQ > 90, who were divided into two groups based on a confirmed or excluded ASD diagnosis based on the DSM-5 and ICD-10 criteria and then using the ADOS-2 protocol. The results indicated that polymorphism rs10877969 (T) within the AVPR1a gene was the only one to show a statistically significant association with a higher risk of autism spectrum disorders and has an impact on clinical presentation in the ADOS-2 study, primarily in terms of the social affect subscale. Polymorphisms in the OXTR gene showed no significant association with ASD risk and severity of autistic traits in the ADOS-2 study. In the group of people with ASD and those who are neurotypical, the rs53572 (A) genotype in the OXTR gene significantly increased the severity of the clinical picture of social cognition disorders in reading mind in the eyes test (RMiE) and empathy quotient (EQ) studies. Full article

Bullying and violence are relevant issues in school settings and negatively impact students’ well-being and mental health. Psychoeducation and anti-bullying programs may prevent violence among students by addressing emotional expression and regulation, alexithymia, and anger. We describe the impact of a psychoeducational intervention delivered to 90 male and 101 female school youths (N = 191), aged 12–14 years old, and aimed to improve their emotional recognition and regulation, as well as to reduce alexithymia in order to prevent aggression and bullying episodes. A psychological assessment has been performed before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention including levels of alexithymia, measured with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), Empathy Quotient (EQ), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Females have shown higher levels of alexithymia at baseline whereas other characteristics (anger, empathy quotient and emotional regulation) did not differ among sex groups. The psychoeducational program significantly increased the empathy quotient (+10.2%), the emotional regulation reappraisal (+20.3%), and the assertive anger expression (+10.9%); alexithymia significantly decreased after the intervention in all the samples (−14.4%), above all among students scoring ≥61 at TAS-20 (−48.2%). Limitations include a small sample from a single school setting, the lack of a control group without psychoeducation, and an assessment based on self-reported measures. We may conclude that psychoeducation has significantly reduced levels of alexithymia and improved empathy and emotional regulation among adolescents. Full article

Empathy has not been well studied in patients following ischemic stroke. We aimed to evaluate the relationships of multimodal neuroimaging parameters with the impairment of empathy in patients who had experienced subacute ischemic stroke. Patients who had experienced a first-event acute ischemic stroke were recruited, and we assessed their empathy using the Chinese version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) 3 months after the index stroke. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted in all the participants to identify acute infarction and assess brain volumes, white matter integrity, and other preexisting abnormalities. We quantified the brain volumes of various subcortical structures, the ventricles, and cortical lobar atrophy. The microstructural integrity of the white matter was reflected in the mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), and the regional mean values of FA and MD were quantified after mapping using the ICBM_DTI_81 Atlas. Twenty-three (56.1%) men and 18 (43.9%) women (mean age: 61.73 years, range: 41–77 years) were included. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at discharge was 1 (range: 0–4). On univariate analysis, the EQ was correlated with right cortical infarction (r = −0.39, p = 0.012), putamen volume (r = 0.382, p = 0.014), right putamen volume (r = 0.338, p = 0.031), and the FA value of the right sagittal stratum. EQ did not correlated with the MD value in any region of interest or pre-existing brain abnormalities. Multiple stepwise linear regression models were used to identify factors associated with EQ. After adjusting for age and the NIHSS score on admission, the frequency of right cortical infarcts negatively correlated with EQ (standardized β = −0.358, 95% confidence interval =−0.708 to −0.076, p = 0.016), and the putamen volume positively correlated with EQ (standardized β = 0.328, 95% confidence interval =0.044 to 0.676, p = 0.027). In conclusion, in patients who have experienced subacute ischemic stroke, right cortical infarction and a smaller putamen volume are associated with the impairment of empathy. Full article

This study compares the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ) scores of elementary school children with and without ADHD. The study also examined their brain types and, because sex plays a big role in empathy and systemizing ability, compared the results of the boys and girls. This cross-sectional study involved 122 participants, including 61 parents of children with ADHD and 61 parents of children without ADHD. The EQ, SQ and brain types were obtained using the Empathy and Systemizing Quotient in children (EQ-/SQ-C), validated in the Indonesian language. Data was analyzed using the SPSS program version 20 for Windows, with a p-value < 0.05 for statistical significance. There was a significant difference in EQ between children with and without ADHD, the score being lower in children with ADHD. There was also a significant difference in SQ among girls with and without ADHD, but not in boys. The brain types in both groups were not significantly different. The results indicate that children with ADHD have a lower ability to empathize compared to children without ADHD. Systemizing abilities were significantly lower in girls with ADHD than in girls without. Therefore, an intervention program focusing on improving empathy and systemizing ability needs to be developed in the community. Full article

High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) has been suggested to be involved in the immune dysfunction and inflammation reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We aimed to assess HMGB1 serum concentrations (SCs) in high-functioning ASD children compared to typically developing (TD) controls and to explore their associations with the autism spectrum quotient (AQ), the empathy quotient (EQ), and the systemizing quotient (SQ). The study involved 42 ASD children and 38 TD children, all-male, aged between 6.1 and 13.3 years old. HMGB1 SCs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Groups were comparable regarding age, general IQ, birth weight, and maternal age at birth. ASD children showed significantly higher HMGB1 SCs compared to TD children (1.25 ± 0.84 ng/mL versus 1.13 ± 0.79 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.039). The Spearman’s rho revealed that HMGB1 SCs were positively correlated with the AQ attention to detail subscale (rs = 0.46, p = 0.045) and with the SQ total score (rs = 0.42, p = 0.04) in the ASD group. These results show that HMGB1 serum concentrations are altered in ASD children, and suggest that inflammatory processes mediated by HMGB1 may be associated with specific cognitive features observed in ASD. Full article

This study assesses the empathy level, cognitive performance and emotion recognition skills of remitted patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, and also explores the relationship between impairments in the mentioned domains. The study was performed on 77 subjects divided into two groups: PAT sample (N = 37) included remitted patients with either schizophrenia, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder who were compared with healthy control subjects from the HC sample (N = 40). Along with sociodemographic and clinical data, empathy levels (using EQ (Empathy Quotient) scale), the ability to recognize another person’s emotional state (using RMET (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test)), and cognitive performance (using MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) Scale) were investigated. The intensity of the psychiatric symptoms was measured with BPRS-E (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale—Expanded). The remitted patients had lower EQ (p = 0.02) and RMET (p < 0.0001) scores than the healthy subjects. In the PAT group, RMET scores were positively correlated with MoCA total scores. Both EQ and RMET scores were negatively correlated with BPRS-E total scores. Psychiatric disorder was a significant predictor for deficits in emotion recognition. There were no significant differences in RMET, EQ and MoCA scores between patients with respect to diagnosis, the type of antipsychotic or the associated medication. In both samples, females had higher empathy levels (p = 0.04) and better emotion recognition abilities (p = 0.04) than males. Patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder, currently in remission, displayed lower empathy levels and poorer emotion recognition skills than healthy subjects. Poor emotion recognition skills were associated with symptom severity and impairments in global cognition. Full article

Background and Objectives. Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with a significant burden due to affective symptoms and behavioral manifestations, but also cognitive and functional impairment. Comorbidity with other psychiatric conditions, including personality disorders, is frequent. The comorbidity with psychopathy deserves special consideration given that both disorders share some clinical characteristics, such as grandiosity, risky behavior or poor insight, among others, that can worsen the outcome of BD. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of psychopathy in a sample of clinically stabilized patients with BD and its impact on the severity of BD. Materials and Methods. A sample of 111 patients with BD (38 type I and 73 type II) was studied. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) served to assess the severity of BD. Psychopathy was measured by means of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R). Patients were divided into three groups according to the severity of psychopathy (Group 1: no psychopathy; Group 2: “psychopathic” trait; Group 3: clinical psychopathy). Other measures regarded impulsiveness (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, BIS-11) and empathy (Empathy Quotient, EQ). Comparisons of mania, depression, impulsivity and empathy scores were run with MANOVA considering psychopathy and diagnosis as independent variables. Results. The prevalence of psychopathy was 5.4%. A significant association between the level of psychopathy and YMRS, attentional/cognitive impulsivity and motor impulsivity scores emerged. No interaction between psychopathy and BD diagnosis was found. Post hoc analysis demonstrated significantly higher YMRS scores in Group 3 than in Group 1; that is, patients with psychopathy have more manic symptoms. Conclusion. Psychopathy seems quite frequent among patients with BD. The association of psychopathy with BD results in higher impulsivity and manic symptoms. In light of this, psychopathy should be investigated when assessing patients with BD, regardless of the comorbidity of BD with other personality disorders. Full article

This study assessed the co-occurrence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in newly diagnosed adults of normal intelligence and the contribution of trait-based dimensions deriving from the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale-IV (BAARS-IV), the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the Empathy Quotient (EQ) to the differentiation of patients with ADHD, ASD, and ADHD/ASD. A total of 16.1% of patients with ADHD received a co-occurring ASD diagnosis, while 33.3% of patients with ASD received an ADHD diagnosis. Subjects with ADHD or ADHD/ASD had higher scores in all ADHD traits compared to ASD subjects. Compared to the ADHD group, the ASD group had AQ scores that were significantly greater, except for attention to detail. ADHD/ASD co-occurrence significantly increased the score of attention to detail. The total EQ score was greater in the ADHD group. In the stepwise logistic regression analyses, past hyperactivity, current inattention and impulsivity, attention switching, communication, imagination, and total EQ score discriminated ADHD patients from ASD patients. Attention to detail, imagination, and total EQ score discriminated ADHD cases from ADHD/ASD cases, while past hyperactivity and current impulsivity discriminated ASD subjects from ADHD/ASD subjects. Our findings highlight the importance of particular trait-based dimensions when discriminating adults with ADHD, ASD, and co-occurring ADHD/ASD. Full article

In this study, we aim to verify how emotional training can improve empathy and theory of mind (ToM) in patients diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia and Asperger’s syndrome. The study design includes 100 subjects divided into two experimental groups and two control groups. The two experimental groups followed a rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) protocol. The two control groups instead underwent cognitive behavioral psychotherapy training. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to analyze the difference between the Asperger’s syndrome (AS) and early onset schizophrenia (EOS) groups, pre and post training. Our analysis shows that the AS group improved post emotional training but only when emotions were internalized, as demonstrated by the improvement of the scores in the post-treatment eye test (ET) but not in the emotional quotient (EQ) test. The EOS group instead showed post-training improvement, not only concerning skills leading to internalizing emotions but also in empathy, as demonstrated by the improvement of EQ and Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) test scores. These scores remained lower than in the control group. Finally, our findings reveal that the value of the treatment was more considerable for the EOS group than for the AS group due to the improvement in first- and second-order ToM skills and an improvement of empathic skills in the first group, followed by the group comprising AS subjects. In the AS group, the treatment only favored the enhancement of first-order ToM skills; however, this improved quality of life and social adaptation. Full article

Empathy is crucial for normal and effective social functioning, enabling comprehension and prediction of actions in social environments. Despite its importance for maintaining social relationships in human groups, the physiological correlates of empathy are not fully known. The aim of this study was to test whether empathy is related to oxidative stress level, that may result both from internal disturbances and influence of external adverse factors. Seventy-four healthy women (M_age = 26.23, SD_age = 2.88) and one hundred and one men (M_age = 28.09, SD_age = 3.03) took part in the study. Participants’ empathy was evaluated with self-assessment questionnaire—Empathy Quotient (EQ). Oxidative stress level was measured with serum 8-OH-dG, a product of oxidative DNA damage. The results showed that empathy is negatively related to oxidative stress level in men but not in women, when controlled for testosterone level. Revealed sex differences may be explained by men’s greater vulnerability to various adverse conditions and harmful factors. Men, compared to women, seem to be more susceptible to behavioral changes, induced by increased oxidative stress level. The study adds to growing evidence showing that many physiological mechanisms, other than hormonal factors, that may be also related with environmental harmful factors, are related to behavioral, affective and cognitive phenomena. Full article