NeuroImage最新文献

{"title":"Express your feelings in words when you get sick of others’ pain: Effects of word labeling on pain empathy in phase-amplitude coupling","authors":"Jiahe Sun ,&nbsp;Wenguang He ,&nbsp;Hongfei Ji ,&nbsp;Jie Li ,&nbsp;Jie Zhuang","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Revealing the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying pain empathy has profound implications for the understanding of social emotions and pain regulation. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which pain empathy modulates individual experiences, focusing on two primary questions: When individuals empathize with pain, do they attend more to the emotional content associated with pain or the nociceptive experience itself? How does lexical labeling modulate negative affect during pain empathy? In this EEG study, we employed a labeling paradigm divided into pain labeling, affect labeling and tool labeling to distinguish emotional content from the nociceptive experience of pain stimuli. We collected data from 39 participants and analyzed their EEG components and frequency-specific brain activity across the experimental conditions. Cross-frequency coupling analyses were conducted to uncover the mechanisms by which pain empathy modulates emotional responses. Our findings revealed that compared to pain labeling and tool labeling, affect labeling more effectively reduces the negative affect associated with pain empathy. This was evidenced by the decreased amplitude of the P300 component and lower theta-band activity within the prefrontal cortex, predominantly during the later stages of labeling. Additionally, affect labeling was associated with enhanced theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling, with theta phase modulation in the posterior parietal and sensorimotor cortices influencing prefrontal gamma-band activity. These results suggest that, during pain empathy, individuals allocate greater attentional and cognitive resources to the emotional aspects of pain. Thus, implicit regulation of pain empathy involves coordinated interactions across multiple brain regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121161"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143670472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prefrontal executive function enhanced by prior acute inhalation of low-dose hypoxic gas: Modulation via cardiac vagal activity","authors":"Dongmin Lee ,&nbsp;Yudai Yamazaki ,&nbsp;Ryuta Kuwamizu ,&nbsp;Masahiro Okamoto ,&nbsp;Hideaki Soya","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Today, diverse psychophysiological stresses, such as severe time constraints and busy lifestyles, contribute to cardiac parasympathetic dysfunction, potentially leading to mental health issues and declines in critical executive functions. It is essential to develop accessible methods of enhancing cardiac vagal activity (CVA) to mitigate these adverse effects. We previously demonstrated that inhaling low-dose hypoxic gas (FIO₂: 13.5 %) for 10 min acts as a hormetic stressor, inducing a supercompensation effect in CVA post-hypoxia. Since CVA is a key mediator of brain-heart communication in that it influences executive functions by interacting with the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC), increasing CVA may enhance cognitive ability. We hypothesized that acute low-dose hypoxia leads to enhanced executive function via CVA modulation. Twenty-six individuals participated in both normobaric hypoxia (NH; FIO₂: 13.5 %) and normoxia (NN; ambient air) conditions. CVA, measured through heart rate variability, was analyzed three times: pre-hypoxia/normoxia, hypoxia/normoxia, and post-hypoxia/normoxia. Executive function was assessed using the Stroop task before and after exposure, and prefrontal cortex activity during the task was monitored using multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy. A supercompensation of CVA occurred concomitantly with a reduction in heart rate following hypoxic gas inhalation. Stroop performance improved with increased task-related activation of the L<span>-DLPFC</span> in the NH condition. Causal mediation analysis revealed that the post-hypoxia enhancement of CVA mediated improvements in Stroop performance and increased L-DLPFC activation. These findings strongly support our hypothesis that the enhancement of CVA following hormetic hypoxic stress contributes to improved executive function, broadening the scope of neurocognitive approaches for effectively enhancing executive function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121139"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age-Related Differences in Speech and Gray Matter Volume: The Modulating Role of Multilingualism","authors":"Hanxiang Yu ,&nbsp;Keyi Kang ,&nbsp;Christos Pliatsikas ,&nbsp;Yushen Zhou ,&nbsp;Haoyun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Speech involves complex processes such as language formulation, motor coordination, and cognitive functions. As people age, their speech abilities often decline, showing reduced fluency and complexity. Older adults also show decreased gray matter volume. However, the relationship between age-related differences in speech and gray matter volume remain unclear. Multilinguals may exhibit unique age-related speech patterns depending on their language profiles. This study investigates the relationships between age-related differences in brain structure and multilingual speech across different languages, considering the effects of multilingual experience. An integrated measure of speech was calculated and used to reflect the overall speech quality, which was lower in older than younger adults. Native language speech (i.e., Cantonese) was better than non-native language speech (i.e., Mandarin), especially in older adults. More extensive use of multiple languages was associated with enhanced speech quality in both native and non-native languages. Age significantly impacts whole brain gray matter volume, which was lower in older than younger adults. The right middle temporal gyrus emerged as a critical region for speech in both languages in older adults. Bilateral putamen shows sensitivity to the effect of multilingual experience on speech performance in older adults. These findings underscore the complex interplay between age, multilingualism, and brain structure, providing valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying multilingual speech performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121149"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143657888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mesoscale connectivity of the human hippocampus and fimbria revealed by ex vivo diffusion MRI","authors":"Madeline McCrea ,&nbsp;Navya Reddy ,&nbsp;Kathryn Ghobrial ,&nbsp;Ryan Ahearn ,&nbsp;Ryan Krafty ,&nbsp;T. Kevin Hitchens ,&nbsp;Jorge Martinez-Gonzalez ,&nbsp;Michel Modo","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121125","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121125","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The human hippocampus is essential to cognition and emotional processing. Its function is defined by its connectivity. Although some pathways have been well-established, our knowledge about anterior-posterior connectivity and the distribution of fibers from major fiber bundles remains limited. Mesoscale (250 μm isotropic acquisition, upsampled to 125 μm) resolution MR images of the human temporal lobe afforded a detailed visualization of fiber tracts, including those that related anterior-posterior substructures defined as subregions (head, body, tail) and subfields (cornu ammonis 1–3, dentate gyrus) of the hippocampus. Fifty pathways were dissected between the head and body, highlighting an intricate mesh of connectivity between these two subregions. Along the body subregion, 12 lamellae were identified based on morphology and the presence of interlamellar fibers that appear to connect neighboring lamellae at the edge of the external limb of the granule cell layer (GCL). Translamellar fibers (i.e. longitudinal fibers crossing more than 2 lamellae) were also evident at the edge of the internal limb of the GCL. The dentate gyrus of the body was the main site of connectivity with the fimbria. Unique pathways were dissected within the fimbria that connected the body of the hippocampus with the amygdala and the temporal pole. A topographical segregation within the fimbria was determined by fibers’ hippocampal origin, illustrating the importance of mapping the spatial distribution of fibers. Elucidating the detailed structural connectivity of the hippocampus is crucial to develop better diagnostic markers of neurological and psychiatric conditions, as well as to devise novel surgical interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121125"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143657891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unsupervised identification of internal perceptual states influencing psychomotor performance","authors":"Ozan Vardal ,&nbsp;Theodoros Karapanagiotidis ,&nbsp;Tom Stafford ,&nbsp;Anders Drachen ,&nbsp;Alex Wade","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121134","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When humans perform repetitive tasks over long periods, their performance is not constant. People drift in and out of states that might be loosely categorised as engagement, disengagement or ’flow’ and these states will be reflected in aspects of their performance (for example, reaction time, accuracy, criteria shifts and potentially longer-term strategy). Until recently it has been challenging to relate these behavioural states to the underlying neural mechanisms that generate them. Here, we acquired magnetoencephalograpy recordings and contemporaneous, dense behavioural data from participants performing an engaging task (Tetris) that required rapid, strategic behavioural responses over the period of an entire game. We asked whether it was possible to infer the presence of distinct behavioural states from the behavioural data and, if so, whether these states would have distinct neural correlates. We used hidden Markov Modelling to segment the behavioural time series into states with unique behavioural signatures, finding that we could identify three distinct and robust behavioural states. We then computed occipital alpha power across each state. These within-participant differences in alpha power were statistically significant, suggesting that individuals shift between behaviourally and neurally distinct states during complex performance, and that visuo-spatial attention change across these states.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121134"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Choline levels in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex associated with unpleasant pain experience and anxiety","authors":"Lina Hudhud ,&nbsp;Jón Hauksson ,&nbsp;Michael Haney ,&nbsp;Tobias Sparrman ,&nbsp;Johan Eriksson ,&nbsp;Lenita Lindgren","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a non-invasive technique used to measure biochemical molecules such as choline, glutamate, glutamine, and γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), many of which are relevant to anxiety and pain. However, the relationship between these neurotransmitters/metabolites and their implications for anxiety and subjective experience of pain is not yet fully understood. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between anxiety and pain ratings with levels of total choline, glutamate and GABA in brain regions known to be involved in anxiety and emotional experience of pain, specifically pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The levels of the neurotransmitters/metabolites were measured using GABA-edited Mescher–Garwood PRESS for GABA measurements, with the OFF-sequence measurements for total choline (tCho) and Glx (combined glutamate + glutamine). The total choline (tCho) signal in our analysis included glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and phosphocholine (PC), which is consistent with standard practices in MRS studies. This approach ensures a robust estimation of tCho concentrations across participants. The study collected data from 38 participants (17 males and 21 females). The analysis revealed a significant correlation between anxiety ratings before a standardized pain provocation and the rated pain unpleasantness during the pain provocation. tCho correlated negatively with these parameters in pgACC. A linear regression analysis indicated that tCho levels in pgACC have a significant negative association with anxiety and perceived pain when controlling for age, depressive symptoms, and alcohol and tobacco intake. We also found that sex significantly moderates the relationship between pgACC choline levels and pain unpleasantness. The study suggests that levels of choline, an essential precursor of acetylcholine, are associated with anxiety and perceived pain. These levels may influence how Glx and GABA contribute to affective pain experiences by modulating the balance between excitatory and inhibitory signals. However, future research is needed to identify the mechanisms involved. Furthermore, the study indicates that sex is a significant factor in this relationship, with lower choline levels being associated with higher pain ratings in females but not in males. This highlights the significance of addressing sex as a biological factor in pain research to better understand the different responses to treatments and to facilitate the development of more effective interventions in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121153"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143657889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of insulin sensitivity on food cue evoked functional brain connectivity in children","authors":"Lorenzo Semeia ,&nbsp;Ralf Veit ,&nbsp;Sixiu Zhao ,&nbsp;Shan Luo ,&nbsp;Brendan Angelo ,&nbsp;Andreas L. Birkenfeld ,&nbsp;Hubert Preissl ,&nbsp;Anny H. Xiang ,&nbsp;Stephanie Kullmann ,&nbsp;Kathleen A. Page","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Insulin resistance during childhood is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and other health problems later in life. Studies in adults have shown that insulin resistance affects regional and network activity in the brain which are vital for behavior, including ingestion and metabolic control. To date, no study has investigated how brain connections during exposure to food cues are association with peripheral insulin sensitivity in children.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We included 53 children (36 girls) between the age of 7–11 years, who underwent an oral Glucose Tolerance Test (oGTT) to estimate peripheral insulin sensitivity (ISI). Brain responses were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after glucose ingestion. We compared food-cue task-based activity and functional connectivity (FC) between children with lower and higher ISI, adjusted for age and BMIz.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Independent of prandial state (i.e., glucose ingestion), children with lower ISI showed higher FC between the anterior insula and caudate and lower FC between the posterior insula and mid temporal cortex than children with higher ISI. Sex differences were found based on prandial state and peripheral insulin sensitivity in the insular FC. No differences were found on mean brain responses to food cues.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In response to food cues, children with lower peripheral insulin sensitivity exhibited distinctive patterns of neural connectivity, notably in the insula's functional connections, when contrasted with their counterparts with higher peripheral insulin sensitivity. These differences might influence eating behavior and future risk of developing diabetes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121154"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143657890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resting state brain network segregation is associated with walking speed and working memory in older adults","authors":"Sumire D. Sato ,&nbsp;Valay A. Shah ,&nbsp;Tyler Fettrow ,&nbsp;Kristina G. Hall ,&nbsp;Grant D. Tays ,&nbsp;Erta Cenko ,&nbsp;Arkaprava Roy ,&nbsp;David J. Clark ,&nbsp;Daniel P. Ferris ,&nbsp;Chris J. Hass ,&nbsp;Todd M. Manini ,&nbsp;Rachael D. Seidler","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Older adults exhibit larger individual differences in walking ability and cognitive function than young adults. Characterizing intrinsic brain connectivity differences in older adults across a wide walking performance spectrum may provide insight into the mechanisms of functional decline in some older adults and resilience in others. Thus, the objectives of this study were to: (1) determine whether young adults and high- and low-functioning older adults show group differences in brain network segregation, and (2) determine whether network segregation is associated with working memory and walking function in these groups. The analysis included 21 young adults and 81 older adults. Older adults were further categorized according to their physical function using a standardized assessment; 54 older adults had low physical function while 27 were considered high functioning. Structural and functional resting state magnetic resonance images were collected using a Siemens Prisma 3T scanner. Working memory was assessed with the NIH Toolbox list sorting test. Walking speed was assessed with a 400 m walk test at participants’ self-selected speed. We found that network segregation in mobility-related networks (sensorimotor, vestibular) was higher in older adults with higher physical function compared to older adults with lower physical function. There were no group differences in laterality effects on network segregation. We found multivariate associations between working memory and walking speed with network segregation scores. The interaction of left sensorimotor network segregation and age groups was associated with higher working memory function. Higher left sensorimotor, left vestibular, right anterior cingulate cortex, and interaction of left anterior cingulate cortex network segregation and age groups were associated with faster walking speed. These results are unique and significant because they demonstrate higher network segregation is largely related to higher physical function and not age alone.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121155"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143657961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"White matter microstructure links with brain, bodily and genetic attributes in adolescence, mid- and late life","authors":"Max Korbmacher ,&nbsp;Mario Tranfa ,&nbsp;Giuseppe Pontillo ,&nbsp;Dennis van der Meer ,&nbsp;Meng-Yun Wang ,&nbsp;Ole A. Andreassen ,&nbsp;Lars T. Westlye ,&nbsp;Ivan I. Maximov","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) allows one to probe and assess brain white matter (WM) organisation and microstructure in vivo. Various dMRI models with different theoretical and practical assumptions have been developed, representing partly overlapping characteristics of the underlying brain biology with potentially complementary value in the cognitive and clinical neurosciences. To which degree the different dMRI metrics relate to clinically relevant geno- and phenotypes is still debated. Hence, we investigate how tract-based and whole WM skeleton parameters from different dMRI approaches associate with clinically relevant and white matter-related phenotypes (sex, age, pulse pressure (PP), body-mass-index (BMI), brain asymmetry) and genetic markers in the UK Biobank (UKB, n=52,140) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (n=5,844). In general, none of the imaging approaches could explain all examined phenotypes, though the approaches were overall similar in explaining variability of the examined phenotypes. Nevertheless, particular diffusion parameters of the used dMRI approaches stood out in explaining some important phenotypes known to correlate with general human health outcomes. A multi-compartment Bayesian dMRI approach provided the strongest WM associations with age, and together with diffusion tensor imaging, the largest accuracy for sex-classifications. We find a similar pattern of metric and tract-dependent asymmetries across datasets, with stronger asymmetries in ABCD data. The magnitude of WM associations with polygenic scores as well as PP depended more on the sample, and likely age, than dMRI metrics. However, kurtosis was most indicative of BMI and potentially of bipolar disorder polygenic scores. We conclude that WM microstructure is differentially associated with clinically relevant pheno- and genotypes at different points in life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121132"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143637316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The power of pain: The temporal-spatial dynamics of empathy induced by body gestures and facial expressions","authors":"Xin Wang ,&nbsp;Benjamin Becker ,&nbsp;Shelley Xiuli Tong","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Two non-verbal pain representations, body gestures and facial expressions, can communicate pain to others and elicit our own empathic responses. However, the specific impact of these representations on neural responses of empathy, particularly in terms of temporal and spatial neural mechanisms, remains unclear. To address this issue, the present study developed a kinetic pain empathy paradigm comprising short animated videos depicting a protagonist's “real life” pain and no-pain experiences through body gestures and facial expressions. Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were conducted on 52 neurotypical adults; while they viewed the animations. Results from multivariate pattern, event-related potential, event-related spectrum perturbation, and source localization analyses revealed that pain expressed through facial expressions, but not body gestures, elicited increased N200 and P200 responses and activated various brain regions, i.e., the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, thalamus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, temporal gyrus, cerebellum, and right supramarginal gyrus. Enhanced theta power with distinct spatial distributions were observed during early affective arousal and late cognitive reappraisal stages of the pain event. Multiple regression analyses showed a negative correlation between the N200 amplitude and pain catastrophizing, and a positive correlation between the P200 amplitude and autism traits. These findings demonstrate the temporal evolution of empathy evoked by dynamic pain display, highlighting the significant impact of facial expression and its association with individuals’ unique psychological traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"310 ","pages":"Article 121148"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143648195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}