Neural Patterns for Empathic Versus Subjective Fear in Classifying Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

IF 4.9 2区医学 Q1 NEUROSCIENCES

Biological Psychiatry-Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Pub Date : 2026-07-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-04 DOI:10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.11.011

Yanmiao Yang, Xiaodong Zhang, Kun Fu, Qi Liu, Xiaolei Xu, Yuanshu Chen, Xinqi Zhou, Keith M. Kendrick, Dezhong Yao, Benjamin Becker, Weihua Zhao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Fear processing is multifaceted, involving dissociable neural and computational pathways that vary depending on its source and context. However, modality-specific fear processing, such as empathic versus subjective fear, remains poorly understood. Moreover, the role of these distinctions in clarifying the high comorbidity between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) has been understudied.

Methods

In the current study, we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging with multivariate pattern analysis to develop two neurofunctional models: one for empathic fear (face-induced empathic fear signature [FEFS], n = 81) and another for subjective fear (scene-induced subjective fear signature [SSFS], n = 81) evoked by visual stimuli. After validating these models in the independent cohorts (dynamic stimuli: n = 28), we generalized them to distinguish GAD and MDD during facial emotional-processing (n = 80) and pain empathy (n = 87) tasks.

Results

Our findings revealed that both models engaged distributed brain systems, including cortical regions (e.g., prefrontal, cingulate, insula, and parietal cortices) and subcortical areas (e.g., thalamus and amygdala). Crucially, we identified distinct functional profiles: FEFS-predominant regions were linked to execution, whereas SSFS-predominant regions mapped onto emotion processing. Notably, compared with SSFS, FEFS consistently discriminated between GAD and MDD during both fearful expression and affective pain empathy processing.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate modality-specific processing of subjective and empathic fear, revealing distinct empathy-related neural signatures that may serve as potential biomarkers for differentiating GAD and MDD, offering new insights into their neurobiological distinctions.

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共情与主观恐惧在广泛性焦虑障碍与重度抑郁障碍分类中的神经模式。

背景：恐惧处理是多方面的，涉及可分离的神经和计算途径，这些途径因其来源和环境而异。然而，模态特定的恐惧处理，如共情与主观恐惧，仍然知之甚少。此外，这些区别在阐明广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD）和重度抑郁症（MDD）之间的高共病性方面的作用尚未得到充分研究。方法：在本研究中，我们将fMRI与多变量模式分析相结合，建立了视觉刺激引起的共情恐惧（FEFS, n = 81）和主观恐惧（SSFS, n = 81）两种神经功能模型。在独立队列（动态刺激：n = 28）中验证这些模型后，我们将它们推广到面部情绪处理（n = 80）和疼痛共情（n = 87）任务中区分GAD和MDD。结果：我们的研究结果表明，这两种模型都涉及分布式脑系统，包括皮质区域（如前额叶、扣带、脑岛和顶叶皮质）和皮质下区域（如丘脑和杏仁核）。至关重要的是，我们确定了不同的功能特征：fefs主导区域与执行有关，而ssfs主导区域与情绪处理有关。值得注意的是，与SSFS相比，FEFS在恐惧表达和情感性疼痛共情加工中始终区分GAD和MDD。结论：这些发现证明了主观和共情恐惧的模式特异性加工，揭示了不同的共情相关神经特征，可能作为区分广泛性焦虑症和重度抑郁症的潜在生物标志物，为研究它们的神经生物学差异提供了新的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Biological Psychiatry-Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Neuroscience-Biological Psychiatry

CiteScore

10.40

自引率

1.70%

发文量

247

审稿时长

30 days

期刊介绍： Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging is an official journal of the Society for Biological Psychiatry, whose purpose is to promote excellence in scientific research and education in fields that investigate the nature, causes, mechanisms, and treatments of disorders of thought, emotion, or behavior. In accord with this mission, this peer-reviewed, rapid-publication, international journal focuses on studies using the tools and constructs of cognitive neuroscience, including the full range of non-invasive neuroimaging and human extra- and intracranial physiological recording methodologies. It publishes both basic and clinical studies, including those that incorporate genetic data, pharmacological challenges, and computational modeling approaches. The journal publishes novel results of original research which represent an important new lead or significant impact on the field. Reviews and commentaries that focus on topics of current research and interest are also encouraged.