The impact of membrane receptors on modulating empathic pain

Abstract

Humans can estimate each other's pain and provide adapted care to reduce it. Empathetic skills are crucial for caregivers involved in pain management; consequently, educational programs and theories have emphasized the positive role of empathy in reducing pain intensity. It is also widely assumed that if caregivers lack empathy, they will underestimate pain intensity in their patients, and this unempathetic attitude can negatively influence pain intensity perception. Empathy for pain is thought to activate the affective‒motivational components of the pain matrix, which includes the anterior insula, middle and anterior cingulate cortices and amygdala, as indicated by functional magnetic resonance imaging and other methodologies. Activity in this core neural network reflects the affective experience that activates our responses to pain and lays the neural foundation for our understanding of our own emotions and those of others. Additionally, a variety of factors can regulate the intensity of empathy for pain, such as oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. Therefore, we selectively review the molecular mechanisms by which membrane receptors modulate this pain modality.