同理心老化的認知神經機轉:功能性磁振造影研究
摘要
同理心在我們日常生活的社會互動行為中，扮演重要的角色，成年人隨著年齡增加，必須負擔更重要的責任，不僅要照顧自己也要照顧他人。過去許多研究已經確立兒童時期同理心的發展情形，但這個議題尚未以生命軌跡及老化的觀點被探討。為了了解老化對同理心的影響，我們用一個已經廣泛使用在同理心研究的行為典範來探討這個問題。22位年輕健康人、22位中年人及21位老年人，在觀看他人處於疼痛情境時的刺激動畫時，接受功能性核磁振造影實驗。行為實驗顯示老人組在做人際關係量表時，無論在由上往下調控的神經歷程，或由下往上調控的神經歷程，都評分較低。老年組在觀看由他人引起的疼痛刺激時，自覺不舒服的程度有較年輕組更高的評分。神經影像實驗結果顯示，功能性磁振造影的血液動力反應，隨年齡增加而降低；自覺不舒服的感受，在年輕組與右側temporo-parietal junction的活性有相關，老年組則與anterior mid-cingulate cortex的活性有相關；功能性磁振造影之有效性連結分析顯示，疼痛同理心沒有年齡組的差異。我們的實驗結果顯示老年人為維持同理心功能，可能以不同於年輕人的皮質神經網路來調控同理心。
關鍵字：同理心；老化；功能性磁振造影

Aging Changes in Neurocognitive Components of Empathy: An fMRI Study
Abstract
Empathy is crucial for social interaction throughout human life. Adults become increasingly responsible not only for themselves, but also for the well-being of others as growing old. Although an amount of studies have documented the development of empathy in childhood, this subject has rarely been addressed from a life-span developmental and aging perspective. We used the well-validated fMRI paradigm to investigate the component processes involved in perceiving others in pain. Twenty-two healthy younger, twenty-two middle-aged and twenty-one older adults underwent anatomical MRI scans to measure functional MRI while perceiving empathy-eliciting stimuli. Behaviorally, the OLD scored lower than MID and YOU in both the subscales of the interpersonal reactivity index related to top-down processes (fantasy + perspective taking) and bottom-up processes (empathic concern + personal distress). Older adults scored higher unpleasantness ratings to the injuries caused by social interaction whereas this was not the case in younger adults. Neuroimaging results showed the hemodynamic response declined with increased age. Subjective unpleasantness was associated with the anterior mid-cingulate cortex in the aging but with right temporo-pariental junction in the young. The effective connectivity for pain empathy had no age-related difference. The findings suggest that older adults may rely on different cortical network to process empathy, lending support preserved empathic function in aging.
Keywords：empathy, aging, fMRI

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