Lena Oestreich - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lena Oestreich

Psychedelics (hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonists such as psilocybin) are gaining recognition for thei... more Psychedelics (hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonists such as psilocybin) are gaining recognition for their potential to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety-related psychopathology. Despite early promising results, the mechanisms by which psychedelic therapy alleviates anxiety are not well understood. Here, we review neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying anxiety-related psychopathology and the impact of psychedelics on these mechanisms. This review culminates in a novel neurocognitive model of how psychedelics promote long-term anxiolysis. We conceptualize anxiety-related psychopathology as a case in which anxiety-related contextual information provided by the hippocampus entrains the amygdala and salience network to bias processing toward anxiety-related information that "refills" the hippocampus and perpetuates this cycle, due to 5-HT2A expression on excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the cortex and hippocampus, respectively. Psychedelics acutely free cortical networks from hippocampaldependent contextual constraints in part through 5-HT2A expression on excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the cortex and hippocampus, respectively, while the intrinsic plasticity of the hippocampus and/or psychedelic-mediated plasticity allows for a "resetting of the hippocampal buffer." As the acute effects wane, increased cortical plasticity may enable the hippocampus to adaptively integrate novel information into a contextual frame that is less biased or constrained by prior aversive conditioning, thus promoting an overall reduction in anxious thoughts and appraisals. We end by discussing potential challenges of psychedelic therapy for anxiety, including that psychedelics can acutely increase anxiety, and suggest directions for future research to determine the optimal treatment paths informed by cognitive neuroscience. Anxiety-related psychopathology is one of the most prevalent classes of mental health conditions (Remes et al., 2016) and medical conditions more generally (Vos et al., 2020). Anxiety-related psychopathology within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013) are represented by disorders characterized by excessive fear or anxiety responses, with the primary differentiation between disorders being the particular focus of the fear or anxiety and the breadth of the stimuli that provoke it. For example, although a relatively wide breadth of stimuli could be the focus of social anxiety disorder and panic disorder, both have relatively circumscribed areas of primary focus (social stimuli and panic-related sensations/situations, respectively). In contrast, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by a broad, pervasive, and difficult-tocontrol chronic apprehension, which is generally less specific in focus than social anxiety disorder or panic disorder. More broadly, pathological anxiety can also be considered a heightened intolerance to uncertainty that results in disproportionate learning to expect threat (Brown et al., 2023; McGovern et al., 2022) and increased distress and dysfunction (Watson et al., 2022). Here, we consider anxiety-related psychopathology as the overall category of interest and target for treatment, and our proposed model and related conclusions apply broadly to this category. Furthermore, we avoid referencing work strictly on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which are no longer grouped with anxiety disorders in DSM-5 due to diagnostic differences and unique presentations that differentiate them from anxiety disorders such as GAD, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder (for reviews on psychedelic therapy for PTSD and OCD, see Ehrmann et al., 2021; Graziosi et al., 2024; Henner et al., 2022; Krediet et al., 2020). 4 Pharmacological treatments for anxiety-related psychopathology include drugs that modulate the serotonergic system, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the availability of synaptic serotonin (5-HT) by block the serotonin transporter, and other drugs that modulate various 5-HT receptors, especially 5-HT1A receptors (5-HT1AR). The anxiolytic effects of these drugs tend to be modest or even ineffective in a large proportion of patients, and their side effects can make long-term maintenance difficult (Cassano et al., 2002; Graziosi et al., 2024). GABAA positive allosteric modulators (i.e., benzodiazepines) are also common treatments, though their sedating effects and abuse potential make them less ideal longterm solutions. Increasing attention has recently been devoted to psychedelics, hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonists, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), for their rapid amelioration of anxiety related to a lifethreatening terminal diagnosis (Gasser et al., 2014; Griffiths et al., 2016; Holze et al., 2023; Ross et al., 2016). More recently, LSD received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically for the treatment of GAD due to robust anxiolysis after a single dose in a to-be published phase III clinical trial. While promising, the mechanisms by which one or doses of a psychedelic ameliorate anxiety-related psychopathology remain poorly understood. A better understanding of these therapeutic mechanisms may aid in the development and optimization of psychedelic treatments for anxiety-related psychopathology. Here, we briefly review key molecular mechanisms, subcortical structures, and cortical networks underlying anxiety-related psychopathology and the impact of psychedelics on these neural substrates. This review culminates in a model of how psychedelics may specifically improve anxiety-related psychopathology (rather than a range of mental illnesses) in a fashion that defines them from other treatments. We conclude by outlining considerations for the 5 therapeutic application of psychedelics for anxiety-related psychopathology and discuss potential challenges for successful integration of psychedelics into modern clinical practice. Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety-Related Psychopathology Molecular Mechanisms 5-HT has been a focal point in the treatment and conceptualization of the pathophysiology of anxiety (Baldwin & Rudge, 1995; Gordon & Hen, 2004; Stein & Stahl, 2000). Consistent with SSRI treatment, anxiety-related psychopathology is associated with decreased 5-HT concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (Brewerton et al., 1995). However, lower 5-HT transporter availability may also be associated with elevated anxiety (Reimold et al., 2008; Wu et al., 1999), suggesting a complex relationship potentially owing to dysregulation of specific serotonin receptors. The 5-HT1A receptor (5-HT1AR) is one of the most widely expressed 5-HT receptors that has been implicated in anxiety-related psychopathology (Celada et al., 2013; Garcia-Garcia et al., 2014). 5-HT1ARs are inhibitory and notably expressed on presynaptic autoreceptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus that inhibit 5-HT release (Tiwari et al., 2023). 5-HT1AR knockout mice exhibit increased anxiety-like behavior (Toth, 2003), and the anxiolytic effects of the medication buspirone are thought to be mediated by its activation of 5-HT1ARs, particularly those in the hippocampus (Inoue et al., 2011) where 5-HT1ARs are densely distributed postsynaptically on pyramidal and granule cells (Beliveau et al., 2017; Lanfumey & Hamon, 2000). Although 5-HT1AR agonists acutely impair the formation of hippocampal-dependent memory (Ögren et al., 2008) including human episodic memory (i.e., memories for where or when one experienced an event, Tulving, 2002), 5-HT1ARs are implicated in the upregulation of hippocampal neurogenesis (Gould, 1999; Grabiec et al., 2009). 6 In contrast to 5-HT1ARs, activation of the 5-HT2AR tends to be excitatory, and 5-HT2ARs are highly expressed in the cortex on pyramidal cells (Aghajanian & Marek, 1997; Beliveau et al., 2017; Jakab & Goldman-Rakic, 1998; Martin & Nichols, 2016). Interestingly, compounds that activate 5-HT2ARs (indirectly via SSRIs and directly via psychedelics) and block 5-HT2ARs (e.g., trazodone and atypical antipsychotics) both downregulate 5-HT2A receptors (Van Oekelen et al., 2003). Stress appears to upregulate 5-HT2ARs particularly in frontal regions that are thought to facilitate learning about threats (Murnane, 2019) and could minimize uncertainty (Brown et al., 2023), and 5-HT2AR knockout mice exhibit less anxiety-like behavior (Weisstaub et al., 2006). Consistent with these findings, patients with GAD, but not depression (Anand et al., 1994), exhibit a larger anxiety response than healthy participants in response to mchlorophenylpiperazine (Germine et al., 1992), a hallucinogenic 5-HT2AR agonist with additional activity at other 5-HT receptors. Nevertheless, stress may also decrease 5-HT2AR expression and function in the hippocampus and amygdala (Jiang et al., 2009; Wu et al., 1999), regions where 5-HT2ARs are notably expressed on inhibitory neurons (Bombardi, 2012; Bombardi & Di

Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 2022

Empathy is one such social-cognitive capacity that undergoes age-related change. C urrently, howe... more Empathy is one such social-cognitive capacity that undergoes age-related change. C urrently, however, not well understood is the structural and functional neurocircuitry underlying age-related differences in empathy. This study aimed to delineate brain structural and functional networks that subserve affective empathic response in younger and older adults using a modified version of the Multifaceted Empathy Task to both positive and negative emotions. Combining multimodal neuroimaging with multivariate partial least square analysis resulted in two novel findings in older but not younger adults: (a) faster empathic responding to negative emotions was related to greater fractional anisotropy of the anterior cingulum and greater functional activity of the anterior cingulate network; (b) however, empathic responding to positive emotions was related to greater fractional anisotropy of the posterior cingulum and greater functional activity of the posterior cingulate network. Such differentiation of structural and functional networks might have critical implications for prosocial behavior and social connections among older adults.

Brain, 2022

Spontaneous recovery of motor and cognitive function occurs in many individuals after stroke. The... more Spontaneous recovery of motor and cognitive function occurs in many individuals after stroke. The mechanisms are incompletely understood, but may involve neurotransmitter systems that support neural plasticity, networks that are involved in learning and regions of the brain that are able to flexibly adapt to demand (such as the ‘multiple-demand system'). Forty-two patients with first symptomatic ischaemic stroke were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study of cognitive function after stroke. High-resolution volumetric, diffusion MRI and neuropsychological assessment were performed at a mean of 70 ± 18 days after stroke. Cognitive assessment was repeated 1 year after stroke, using parallel test versions to avoid learning effects, and change scores were computed for long-term episodic, short-term and working memory. Structural MRI features that predicted change in cognitive scores were identified by a two-stage analysis: a discovery phase used whole-brain approaches in a hypothesi...

Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2022

Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation is not limited to archetypal inflammatory diseas... more Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation is not limited to archetypal inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, but instead represent an intrinsic feature of many psychiatric and neurological disorders not typically classified as neuroinflammatory. Importantly, a growing body of research suggests that neuroinflammation can be observed in early and prodromal stages of these disorders and, under certain circumstances, may lead to tissue damage. Traditional methods to assess neuroinflammation include serum or cerebrospinal fluid markers and positron emission tomography (PET). These methods require invasive procedures or radiation exposure and lack the exquisite spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There is, therefore, an increasing interest in non-invasive neuroimaging tools to evaluate neuroinflammation reliably and with high specificity. While MRI does not provide information at a cellular level, it facilitates the characterization of several biophysical tissue properties that are closely linked to neuroinflammatory processes. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the potential of MRI as a non-invasive, accessible and cost-effective technology to image neuroinflammation across neurological and psychiatric disorders. We provide an overview of current and developing MRI methods used to study different aspects of neuroinflammation and weigh their strengths and shortcomings. Novel MRI contrast agents are increasingly able to target inflammatory processes directly, therefore offering a high degree of specificity, particularly if used in conjunction with multi-tissue, biophysical diffusion MRI compartment models. The capability of these methods to characterize several aspects of the neuroinflammatory milieu will likely push MRI to the forefront of neuroimaging modalities used to characterise neuroinflammation transdiagnostically.

Brain Structure and Function, 2021

Empathy, among other social-cognitive processes, changes across adulthood. More specifically, cog... more Empathy, among other social-cognitive processes, changes across adulthood. More specifically, cognitive components of empathy (understanding another’s perspective) appear to decline with age, while findings for affective empathy (sharing another’s emotional state) are rather mixed. Structural and functional correlates underlying cognitive and affective empathy in aging and the extent to which valence affects empathic response in brain and behavior are not well understood yet. To fill these research gaps, younger and older adults completed a modified version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test, which measures both cognitive and affective empathy as well as empathic responding to both positive and negative stimuli (i.e., positive vs. negative empathy). Adopting a multimodal imaging approach and applying multivariate analysis, the study found that for cognitive empathy to negative emotions, regions of the salience network including the anterior insula and anterior cingulate were more invo...

ABSTRACTObjectivesPost-stroke depression (PSD) is a common complication after stroke. To date, no... more ABSTRACTObjectivesPost-stroke depression (PSD) is a common complication after stroke. To date, no consistent locus of injury is associated with this complication. Here, we probed network dynamics in four functional circuits tightly linked to major depressive disorder and investigated structural alterations within these networks in PSD.MethodsForty-four participants with recent stroke and 16 healthy volunteers were imaged with 3T structural, diffusion and resting-state functional MRI and completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Associations between GDS and functional connectivity were investigated within networks seeded from nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In addition, the default mode network (DMN) was identified by connectivity with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Circuits that exhibited altered activity associated with GDS were further investigated by extracting within-network volumetric and microst...

Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 2018

Predictive coding postulates that the brain continually predicts forthcoming sensory events based... more Predictive coding postulates that the brain continually predicts forthcoming sensory events based on past experiences in order to process sensory information and respond to unexpected events in a fast and efficient manner. Predictive coding models in the context of overt speech are believed to operate along auditory white matter pathways such as the arcuate fasciculus and the frontal aslant. The aim of this study was to investigate whether brain regions that are structurally connected via these white matter pathways are also effectively engaged when listening to externallygenerated, temporally-predicable speech sounds. Using Electroencephalography (EEG) and Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) we investigated network models that are structurally connected via the arcuate fasciculus from primary auditory cortex to Wernicke's and via Geschwind's territory to Broca's area. Connections between Broca's and supplementary motor area, which are structurally connected by the frontal aslant, were also included. The results revealed that bilateral areas interconnected by indirect and direct pathways of the arcuate fasciculus, in addition to regions interconnected by the frontal aslant best explain the EEG responses to speech that is externally-generated but temporally predictable. These findings indicate that structurally connected brain regions involved in the production and processing of auditory stimuli are also effectively connected.

Empathy, among other social-cognitive processes, changes across adulthood. More specifically, cog... more Empathy, among other social-cognitive processes, changes across adulthood. More specifically, cognitive components of empathy (understanding another’s perspective) appear to decline with age, while findings for affective empathy (sharing another’s emotional states) are rather mixed. Structural and functional correlates underlying cognitive and affective empathy in aging and the extent to which valence affects empathic response in brain and behavior are not well understood yet. To fill these research gaps, younger and older participants completed a modified version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test, which measures both cognitive and affective empathy. Adopting a multimodal imaging approach and applying multivariate analysis, the study found that regions of the salience network, including anterior insula and anterior cingulate, were more involved in cognitive empathy to negative emotions in older than younger participants. For affective empathy to positive emotions, in contrast, younge...

Background: Studies of lesion location have been unsuccessful in identifying simple mappings betw... more Background: Studies of lesion location have been unsuccessful in identifying simple mappings between single brain regions and post-stroke depression (PSD). This might partly reflect the involvement of multiple interconnected regions in the regulation of mood. In this study, we set out to investigate whole-brain network structure and white matter connectivity in the genesis of PSD. Based on studies implicating regions of the reward system in major depressive disorder without stroke, we investigated the overlap of whole-brain correlates of PSD with this system and performed a focused analysis of grey matter and white matter projections within the reward system and their associations with the development of PSD. Methods: The study enrolled 46 patients with first ischemic stroke, 12 were found to have PSD (D+ group) and 34 were free of PSD (D-) based on scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale. A group of 16 healthy controls were also recruited. Participants underwent research MRI with ...

Human Brain Mapping, 2019

Translational Stroke Research, 2019

Stroke is frequently associated with delayed, long-term cognitive impairment (CI) and dementia. R... more Stroke is frequently associated with delayed, long-term cognitive impairment (CI) and dementia. Recent research has focused on identifying early predictive markers of CI occurrence. We carried out a texture analysis of magnetic resonance (MR) images to identify predictive markers of CI occurrence based on a combination of preclinical and clinical data. Seventy-two-hour poststroke T1W MR images of 160 consecutive patients were examined, including 75 patients with confirmed CI at the 6-month poststroke neuropsychological examination. Texture features were measured in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex and compared between patients with CI and those without. A correlation study determined their association with MoCA and MMSE clinical scores. Significant features were then combined with the classical prognostic factors, age and gender, to build a machine learning algorithm as a predictive model for CI occurrence. A middle cerebral artery transient occlusion model was used. Texture features were compared in the hippocampus of sham and lesioned rats and were correlated with histologically assessed neural loss. In clinical studies, two texture features, kurtosis and inverse difference moment, differed significantly between patients with and without CI and were significantly correlated with MoCA and MMSE scores. The prediction model had an accuracy of 88 ± 3%. The preclinical model revealed a significant correlation between texture features and neural density in the hippocampus contralateral to the ischemic area. These preliminary results suggest that texture features of MR images are representative of neural alteration and could be a part of a screening strategy for the early prediction of post-stroke CI.

Human Brain Mapping, 2019

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Auditory prediction errors, i.e. the mismatch between predicted and actual auditory input, are ge... more Auditory prediction errors, i.e. the mismatch between predicted and actual auditory input, are generated by a hierarchical functional network of cortical sources. This network is also interconnected by auditory white matter pathways. Hence it would be reasonable to assume that these structural and functional networks are quantitatively related, which is what the present study set out to investigate. Specifically, whether structural connectivity of auditory white matter pathways enables effective connectivity of auditory prediction error generation. Eighty-nine participants underwent diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Anatomically-constrained tractography was used to extract auditory white matter pathways, namely the bilateral arcuate fasciculus, the inferior occipito-frontal fasciculi (IOFF), and the auditory interhemispheric pathway, from which Apparent Fibre Density (AFD) was calculated. The same participants also underwent a stochastic oddball paradigm, which was used...

NeuroImage, 2019

Auditory prediction errors, i.e. the mismatch between predicted forthcoming auditory sensation an... more Auditory prediction errors, i.e. the mismatch between predicted forthcoming auditory sensation and actual input, trigger detection of surprising auditory events in the environment. Auditory mismatches engage a hierarchical functional network of cortical sources, which are also interconnected by auditory white matter pathways. Hence it is plausible that these structural and functional networks are quantitatively related. The present study set out to investigate whether structural connectivity of auditory white matter pathways enables the effective connectivity underpinning auditory mismatch responses. Participants (N=89) underwent diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. Anatomically-constrained tractography was used to extract auditory white matter pathways, namely the bilateral arcuate fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi (IFOF), and the auditory interhemispheric pathway, from which Apparent Fibre Density (AFD) was calculated. EEG data were recorded in the same participants during a stochastic oddball paradigm, which was used to elicit auditory prediction error responses. Dynamic causal modelling was used to investigate the effective connectivity underlying auditory mismatch responses generated in brain regions interconnected by the above mentioned auditory white matter pathways. Our results showed that brain areas interconnected by all above mentioned auditory white matter pathways best explained the dynamics of auditory mismatch responses. Furthermore, AFD in the right arcuate fasciculus was significantly associated with the effective connectivity between the cortical regions that lie within it. Taken together, these findings indicate that auditory prediction errors recruit a frontotemporal network of brain regions that are effectively and structurally connected by auditory white matter pathways.

Our sensory systems actively predict sensory information based on previously learnt patterns. An ... more Our sensory systems actively predict sensory information based on previously learnt patterns. An inability to accurately predict forthcoming information results in prediction errors. Individuals with schizophrenia consistently show reduced auditory prediction errors as well as reduced microstructure in auditory white matter pathways. However, it is not clear if also healthy individuals with psychotic experiences demonstrate such deficits. Participants underwent electroencephalography (EEG) recordings while listening to a simple two-tone duration deviant oddball paradigm (N=103) and a stochastic oddball paradigm (N=89). A subset of participants (N=89) also underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), from which fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of overall white matter microstructure, was obtained for auditory pathways namely the auditory interhemispheric pathway, as well as the left and right arcuate fasciculi. We investigated both structural and functional pred...

Human Brain Mapping, 2018

Widespread white matter connectivity disruptions have commonly been reported in schizophrenia. Ho... more Widespread white matter connectivity disruptions have commonly been reported in schizophrenia. However, it is questionable whether structural connectivity decline is specifically associated with schizophrenia or whether it extends along a continuum of psychosis into the healthy population. Elucidating brain structure changes associated with psychotic-like experiences in healthy individuals is insofar important as it is a necessary first step towards our understanding of brain pathology preceding florid psychosis. High resolution, multishell diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) were acquired from 89 healthy individuals. Whole-brain white matter fibre tracking was performed to quantify the strength of white matter connections. Networkbased statistics were applied to white matter connections in a regression model in order to test for a linear relationship between streamline count and psychotic-like experiences. A significant subnetwork was identified whereby streamline count declined with increasing psychotic-like experiences. This network of structural connectivity reductions affected all cortical lobes, sub

Brain imaging and behavior, Jan 25, 2017

Diffusion tensor imaging studies report childhood adversity (CA) is associated with reduced fract... more Diffusion tensor imaging studies report childhood adversity (CA) is associated with reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in multiple white matter tracts in adults. Reduced FA may result from changes in tissue, suggesting myelin/axonal damage, and/or from increased levels of extracellular free-water, suggesting atrophy or neuroinflammation. Free-water imaging can separately identify FA in tissue (FAT) and the fractional volume of free-water (FW). We tested whether CA was associated with altered FA, FAT, and FW in seven white matter regions of interest (ROI), in which FA changes had been previously linked to CA (corona radiata, corpus callosum, fornix, cingulum bundle: hippocampal projection, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus). Tract-based spatial statistics were performed in 147 psychiatrically healthy adults who had completed a self-report questionnaire on CA primarily stemming from parental maltreatment. ROI were extracted acc...

Sensory attenuation refers to the cortical suppression of self-generated sensations relative to e... more Sensory attenuation refers to the cortical suppression of self-generated sensations relative to externally-generated sensations. This attenuation of cortical responsiveness is the result of internal forward models which make precise predictions about forthcoming sensations. Forward models of sensory attenuation in the auditory domain are thought to operate along auditory white matter pathways such as the arcuate fasciculus and the frontal aslant. The aim of this study was to investigate whether brain regions that are structurally connected via these white matter pathways are also effectively connected during overt speech, as well as as when listening to externally-generated speech that is temporally predictable via a visual cue. Using Electroencephalography (EEG) and Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) we investigated network models that link the primary auditory cortex to Wernicke's and Broca's area either directly or indirectly through Geschwind's territory, which are struc...

Schizophrenia research, Nov 10, 2017

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in chronic schizophrenia have found widespread but often i... more Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in chronic schizophrenia have found widespread but often inconsistent patterns of white matter abnormalities. These studies have typically used the conventional measure of fractional anisotropy, which can be contaminated by extracellular free-water. A recent free-water imaging study reported reduced free-water corrected fractional anisotropy (FAT) in chronic schizophrenia across several brain regions, but limited changes in the extracellular volume. The present study set out to validate these findings in a substantially larger sample. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was performed in 188 healthy controls and 281 chronic schizophrenia patients. Forty-two regions of interest (ROIs), as well as average whole-brain FAT and FW were extracted from free-water corrected diffusion tensor maps. Compared to healthy controls, reduced FAT was found in the chronic schizophrenia group in the anterior limb of the internal capsule bilaterally, the posterio...

Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 2022

Brain, 2022

Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2022

Brain Structure and Function, 2021

Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 2018

Empathy, among other social-cognitive processes, changes across adulthood. More specifically, cog... more Empathy, among other social-cognitive processes, changes across adulthood. More specifically, cognitive components of empathy (understanding another’s perspective) appear to decline with age, while findings for affective empathy (sharing another’s emotional states) are rather mixed. Structural and functional correlates underlying cognitive and affective empathy in aging and the extent to which valence affects empathic response in brain and behavior are not well understood yet. To fill these research gaps, younger and older participants completed a modified version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test, which measures both cognitive and affective empathy. Adopting a multimodal imaging approach and applying multivariate analysis, the study found that regions of the salience network, including anterior insula and anterior cingulate, were more involved in cognitive empathy to negative emotions in older than younger participants. For affective empathy to positive emotions, in contrast, younge...

Human Brain Mapping, 2019

Translational Stroke Research, 2019

Human Brain Mapping, 2019

NeuroImage, 2019

Human Brain Mapping, 2018

Brain imaging and behavior, Jan 25, 2017

Schizophrenia research, Nov 10, 2017