YuBao Jiang1, MingYu Zhu2, Fengqiong Yu3, Kai Wang4. 1. Collaborative Innovation Centre of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, Anhui, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.. Electronic address: jiangyubao1982@126.com. 2. Collaborative Innovation Centre of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, Anhui, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. 3. Collaborative Innovation Centre of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, Anhui, China; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Department of Medical Psychology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. 4. Collaborative Innovation Centre of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, Anhui, China; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Department of Medical Psychology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China; Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.. Electronic address: wangkai1964@126.com.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that may be complicated by neurobehavioral comorbidities. In a previous study, we identified impairment of empathy in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). However, the temporal processing of empathy in patients with IGE is not well understood. METHODS: We investigated empathy for pain and self-reported empathy in 21 patients with IGE and 22 healthy control subjects. All study participants were required to complete a pain empathy task involving images of individuals in pain and neutral conditions during recording of event-related potentials. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the patients with IGE showed impaired cognitive empathy but intact emotional empathy on the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index; they also had normal N1, N2, and late positive potential (LPP) but lower P3 amplitudes evoked by depictions of pain in others when compared with neutral images during the pain judgment task; the difference in the effects of pain empathy on the pain task between the IGE group and the control group was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that later processing of pain empathy is impaired but early processing is intact in patients with IGE. The present study extends the findings of our previous behavioral study by providing solid evidence of impaired empathy in patients with IGE at the neural processing level.
PURPOSE:Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that may be complicated by neurobehavioral comorbidities. In a previous study, we identified impairment of empathy in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). However, the temporal processing of empathy in patients with IGE is not well understood. METHODS: We investigated empathy for pain and self-reported empathy in 21 patients with IGE and 22 healthy control subjects. All study participants were required to complete a pain empathy task involving images of individuals in pain and neutral conditions during recording of event-related potentials. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the patients with IGE showed impaired cognitive empathy but intact emotional empathy on the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index; they also had normal N1, N2, and late positive potential (LPP) but lower P3 amplitudes evoked by depictions of pain in others when compared with neutral images during the pain judgment task; the difference in the effects of pain empathy on the pain task between the IGE group and the control group was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that later processing of pain empathy is impaired but early processing is intact in patients with IGE. The present study extends the findings of our previous behavioral study by providing solid evidence of impaired empathy in patients with IGE at the neural processing level.