Theta oscillations underlie the interplay between emotional processing and empathy

Autor: Zaira Romeo, Chiara Spironelli
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Heliyon, Vol 10, Iss 14, Pp e34581- (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2405-8440
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34581
Popis: Emotional reactions to salient stimuli are well documented in psychophysiological research. However, some individual variables that can influence how people process emotions (i.e., empathy traits) have received little consideration. The present study investigated the relationship between emotions and empathy. Forty participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, a questionnaire that measure general and specific empathy dimensions. Then, emotional (erotic and mutilation) and non-emotional pictures were presented, during electroencephalographic recording. Valence and arousal were evaluated for each stimulus. Behavioral results revealed a positive correlation between the arousal induced by mutilation pictures and personal distress (i.e., feeling discomfort in emergency situations). At the electrophysiological level, theta activity elicited by positive and negative emotion processing in the superior frontal gyrus was associated with personal distress. Moreover, erotic-related theta in the middle frontal gyrus was associated with subjective judgement of erotic stimulus valence. Overall, theta activity modulated the interplay between emotions and empathy.
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