The DOI matches its Crossref record; 49 of the 49 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Stimulus-driven modulation of motor-evoked potentials during observation of others' pain
Abstract
Empathy may allow interindividual sharing not only of emotions (e.g., joy, sadness, disgust) but also of sensations (e.g., touch, itching, pain). Although empathy for pain may rely upon both sensory and affective components of the pain experience, neuroimaging studies indicate that only the affective component of the pain matrix is involved in empathy for pain. By using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we highlighted the sensorimotor side of empathy for pain by showing a clear motor inhibition during the mere observation of needles penetrating body parts of a human model. Here, we explored stimulus-specific and instruction-specific influences on this inhibition by manipulating task instructions (request to adopt first- or third-person perspective vs. passive observation) and painfulness of the experimental stimuli (presentation of videos of needles deeply penetrating or simply pinpricking a hand). We found a significant reduction in amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) specific to the muscle the subjects observed being penetrated that correlated with the intensity of the pain attributed to the model. Crucially, this motor inhibition was present during observation of penetrating but not of pinpricking needles. Moreover, no MEPs modulation contingent upon different task instructions was found. Results suggest that the motor inhibition elicited by the observation of "flesh and bone" pain stimuli is more stimulus-driven than instruction-driven.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“While two TMS studies [15], [16] and a recent ERP study [17] suggested involvement of sensorimotor processing, most fMRI results support the idea that the empathizers' response relies upon representing the affective rather than the sensory consequences of the other's pain.”
From What are you feeling? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the modulation of sensory and affective responses during empathy for pain (2007) · cites this paper as [16]
Citations
Cites
The assessment and analysis of handedness: The Edinburgh inventory
Oldfield, R. C. (1971) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/0028-3932(71)90067-4 · Cited by 35,900
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144230 · Cited by 7,433
Empathy: its ultimate and proximate bases
Preston, S. D., & de Waal, F. B. M. (2002) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x02000018 · Cited by 4,126
Empathy for Pain Involves the Affective but not Sensory Components of Pain
Singer, T., Seymour, B., O'Doherty, J., Kaube, H., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, C. D. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1093535 · Cited by 3,929
The functional architecture of human empathy
Decety, J., & Jackson, P. L. (2004) · Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews · doi:10.1177/1534582304267187 · Cited by 3,407 · cited 3×
“Available online on ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com). one individual activates corresponding neural representations in another individual observing that state (Preston and de Waal, 2002; Decety and Jackson, 2004; Gallese, 2003).”
Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the understanding and imitation of action
Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi, L., & Gallese, V. (2001) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/35090060 · Cited by 3,302
Rossini, P. M., Barker, A. T., Berardelli, A., Caramia, M. D., Caruso, G., Cracco, R. Q., Dimitrijević, M. R., Hallett, M., Katayama, Y., Lücking, C. H., et al. (1994) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/0013-4694(94)90029-9 · Cited by 3,030
Pain Affect Encoded in Human Anterior Cingulate But Not Somatosensory Cortex
Rainville, P., Duncan, G. H., Price, D. D., Carrier, B., & Bushnell, M. C. (1997) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.277.5328.968 · Cited by 2,629
Empathy: A Social Psychological Approach
Davis, M. H. (1994) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.34-2454 · Cited by 2,442
Wassermann, E. M. (1998) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology/Evoked Potentials Section · doi:10.1016/s0168-5597(97)00096-8 · Cited by 2,337
Motor facilitation during action observation: a magnetic stimulation study
Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., Pavesi, G., & Rizzolatti, G. (1995) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.1995.73.6.2608 · Cited by 2,297
Both of Us Disgusted in My Insula
Wicker, B., Keysers, C., Plailly, J., Royet, J.-P., Gallese, V., & Rizzolatti, G. (2003) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00679-2 · Cited by 2,185
Functional imaging of brain responses to pain. A review and meta-analysis (2000)
Peyron, R., Laurent, B., & García-Larrea, L. (2000) · Neurophysiologie Clinique/Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/s0987-7053(00)00227-6 · Cited by 2,171
Depression of motor cortex excitability by low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation
Chen, R., Classen, J., Gerloff, C., Celnik, P., Wassermann, E. M., Hallett, M., & Cohen, L. G. (1997) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.48.5.1398 · Cited by 2,128 · cited 2×
“1-Hz frequency did not induce any change in excitability (Chen et al., 1997).”
InfluentialNeural mechanisms of empathy in humans: a relay from neural systems for imitation to limbic areas
Carr, L., Iacoboni, M., Dubeau, M.-C., Mazziotta, J. C., & Lenzi, G. L. (2003) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0935845100 · Cited by 1,978
Davis, M. H. (2018) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780429493898 · Cited by 1,895
Perspective Taking: Imagining How Another Feels Versus Imaging How You Would Feel
Batson, C. D., Early, S., & Salvarani, G. (1997) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167297237008 · Cited by 1,296
How do we perceive the pain of others? A window into the neural processes involved in empathy
Jackson, P. L., Meltzoff, A. N., & Decety, J. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.09.006 · Cited by 1,257
Adolphs, R., Damasio, H., Tranel, D., Cooper, G., & Damasio, A. R. (2000) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.20-07-02683.2000 · Cited by 1,095
Impaired recognition and experience of disgust following brain injury
Calder, A. J., Keane, J., Manes, F., Antoun, N., & Young, A. W. (2000) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/80586 · Cited by 850
Jackson, P. L., Brunet, E., Meltzoff, A. N., & Decety, J. (2006) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.07.015 · Cited by 838
Keysers, C. (2004) · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(04)00156-4 · Cited by 806
Pain perception: Is there a role for primary somatosensory cortex?
Bushnell, M. C., Duncan, G. H., Hofbauer, R. K., Ha, B., Chen, J.-I., & Carrier, B. (1999) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.96.14.7705 · Cited by 736
The manifold nature of interpersonal relations: the quest for a common mechanism
Gallese, V. (2003) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2002.1234 · Cited by 709
Pain-related neurons in the human cingulate cortex
Hutchison, W. D., Davis, K. D., Lozano, A. M., Tasker, R. R., & Dostrovsky, J. O. (1999) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/8065 · Cited by 681
Brain mechanisms of pain affect and pain modulation
Rainville, P. (2002) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/s0959-4388(02)00313-6 · Cited by 634
Transcranial magnetic stimulation highlights the sensorimotor side of empathy for pain.
Avenanti, A., Bueti, D., Galati, G., & Aglioti, S. M. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1481 · Cited by 615
Self-citationSomatosensory activations during the observation of touch and a case of vision–touch synaesthesia
Blakemore, S.-J., Bristow, D., Bird, G., Frith, C., & Ward, J. (2005) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awh500 · Cited by 614
Cortical Representation of the Sensory Dimension of Pain
Hofbauer, R. K., Rainville, P., Duncan, G. H., & Bushnell, M. C. (2001) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.2001.86.1.402 · Cited by 611 · cited 2×
“…evidence indicate that the sensory dimension of pain is mainly coded in sensorimotor neural structures (Porro et al., 1998; Bushnell et al., 1999; Hofbauer et al., 2001), while the affective component is mapped in several limbic areas including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and AI…”
Viewing facial expressions of pain engages cortical areas involved in the direct experience of pain
Botvinick, M., Jha, A. P., Bylsma, L. M., Fabian, S., Solomon, P. E., & Prkachin, K. M. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.11.043 · Cited by 589
Brasil-Neto, J. P., Cohen, L. G., Panizza, M. E., Nilsson, J., Roth, B. J., & Hallett, M. (1992) · PubMed · Cited by 567
Perspective-taking and altruism.
Underwood, B., & Moore, B. S. (1982) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.91.1.143 · Cited by 544
Magnetic brain stimulation with a double coil: the importance of coil orientation
Mills, K. R., Boniface, S. J., & Schubert, M. (1992) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology/Evoked Potentials Section · doi:10.1016/0168-5597(92)90096-t · Cited by 516
Human motor cortex excitability during the perception of others’ action
Fadiga, L., Craighero, L., & Olivier, E. (2005) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.conb.2005.03.013 · Cited by 508
Optimal Focal Transcranial Magnetic Activation of the Human Motor Cortex
Brasil-Neto, J. P., Cohen, L. G., Panizza, M. E., Nilsson, J., Roth, B. J., & Hallett, M. (1992) · Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1097/00004691-199201000-00014 · Cited by 504
Vicarious responses to pain in anterior cingulate cortex: Is empathy a multisensory issue?
Morrison, I., Lloyd, D., Di Pellegrino, G., & Roberts, N. (2004) · Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/cabn.4.2.270 · Cited by 490
Inhibition of motor system excitability at cortical and spinal level by tonic muscle pain
Pera, D. L., Graven‐Nielsen, T., Valeriani, M., Oliviero, A., Lazzaro, V. D., Tonali, P. A., & Arendt‐Nielsen, L. (2001) · Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/s1388-2457(01)00631-9 · Cited by 397
Ingvar, M. (1999) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.1999.0483 · Cited by 274
Temporal and Intensity Coding of Pain in Human Cortex
Porro, C. A., Cettolo, V., Francescato, M. P., & Baraldi, P. (1998) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.1998.80.6.3312 · Cited by 259
A common neural basis for receptive and expressive communication of pleasant facial affect
Hennenlotter, A., Schröeder, U., Erhard, P., Castrop, F., Haslinger, B., Stöcker, D., Lange, K. W., & Ceballos-Baumann, A. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.01.057 · Cited by 231
Pourtois, G., Sander, D., Andres, M., Grandjean, D., Reveret, L., Olivier, E., & Vuilleumier, P. (2004) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03794.x · Cited by 205
Activation of the human primary motor cortex during observation of tool use
Järveläinen, J., Schürmann, M., & Hari, R. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.06.010 · Cited by 174
Farina, S., Valeriani, M., Rosso, T., Aglioti, S. M., Tamburin, S., Fiaschi, A., & Tinazzi, M. (2001) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/s0304-3940(01)02297-2 · Cited by 167
Self-citationPain-related modulation of the human motor cortex
Farina, S., Tinazzi, M., Pera, D. L., & Valeriani, M. (2003) · Neurological Research · doi:10.1179/016164103101201283 · Cited by 132
Singer, T., & Frith, C. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn0705-845 · Cited by 118
Silent period in upper limb muscles after noxious cutaneous stimulation in man
Inghilleri, M., Cruccu, G., Argenta, M., Polidori, L., & Manfredi, M. (1997) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology/Electromyography and Motor Control · doi:10.1016/s0924-980x(97)96579-6 · Cited by 111
Suppression of motor evoked potentials in a hand muscle following prolonged painful stimulation
Svensson, P. J., Miles, T. S., McKay, D. R., & Ridding, M. C. (2003) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/s1090-3801(02)00050-2 · Cited by 107
Silent period in upper limb muscles after noxious cutaneous stimulation in man
Polidori, L. (1997) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/s0013-4694(97)88859-5 · Cited by 98
Urban, P. P., Solinski, M., Best, C., Rolke, R., Hopf, H. C., & Dieterich, M. (2004) · Muscle & Nerve · doi:10.1002/mus.20011 · Cited by 75
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Lamm, C., Decety, J., & Singer, T. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.014 · Cited by 2,016
The social neuroscience of empathy
Singer, T., & Lamm, C. (2009) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04418.x · Cited by 1,981
The empathic brain: how, when and why?
de Vignemont, F., & Singer, T. (2006) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2006.08.008 · Cited by 1,846
Bernhardt, B. C., & Singer, T. (2012) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-062111-150536 · Cited by 952
Somatosensation in social perception
Keysers, C., Kaas, J. H., & Gazzola, V. (2010) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2833 · Cited by 787
Metadata
- Authors
- Avenanti, A., Paluello, I. M., Bufalari, I., & Aglioti, S. M.
- Affiliations
- Fondazione Santa Lucia (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Aglioti, Salvatore M.
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-08
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 316-324
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1977104693
- Cited by
- 254
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 22.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
- Keywords
- empathy for pain, motor evoked potentials, motor inhibition, needle penetration, pain intensity, first-person perspective, third-person perspective, pain matrix
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention, Brain Mapping, Empathy, Female, Humans, Functional Laterality, Male, Needles, Pain, Pain Measurement, Video Recording, Wounds, Penetrating, Evoked Potentials, Motor, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
