Cited by 615Action Observation and SynchronizationTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesPain Management and Treatment

Transcranial magnetic stimulation highlights the sensorimotor side of empathy for pain.

Avenanti, Alessio, Bueti, Domenica, Galati, Gaspare, Aglioti, Salvatore M·2005·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

Pain is intimately linked with action systems that are involved in observational learning and imitation. Motor responses to one's own pain allow freezing or escape reactions and ultimately survival. Here we show that similar motor responses occur as a result of observation of painful events in others. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to record changes in corticospinal motor representations of hand muscles of individuals observing needles penetrating hands or feet of a human model or noncorporeal objects. We found a reduction in amplitude of motor-evoked potentials that was specific to the muscle that subjects observed being pricked. This inhibition correlated with the observer's subjective rating of the sensory qualities of the pain attributed to the model and with sensory, but not emotional, state or trait empathy measures. The empathic inference about the sensory qualities of others' pain and their automatic embodiment in the observer's motor system may be crucial for the social learning of reactions to pain.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nn1481

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Authors
Avenanti, A., Bueti, D., Galati, G., & Aglioti, S. M.
Affiliations
  • Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
  • Fondazione Santa Lucia (IT)
  • University of Chieti-Pescara (IT)
Corresponding author
Aglioti, Salvatore M
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2005-06-05
Volume
8
Issue
7
Pages
955-960
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W2160683905
Cited by
615
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 33
FWCI
41.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • SDL (submittedVersion)
  • IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca
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, mirror neuron system, motor evoked potentials, corticospinal excitability, embodiment, social learning, imitation, transcranial magnetic stimulation
MeSH terms
Adult, Electric Stimulation, Empathy, Foot, Hand, Humans, Male, Motor Cortex, Pain, Pyramidal Tracts, Somatosensory Cortex, Muscle, Skeletal, Evoked Potentials, Motor, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

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