The pain matrix reloaded

Legrain, Valéry; Iannetti, Gian Domenico; Plaghki, Léon; Mouraux, André

doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2010.10.005

Cited by 729 publications

(354 citation statements)

References 170 publications

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“…[7]). Hence, rather than representing the other's affect, activation of these areas might stem from the phenomenon that seeing someone in a painful situation is a strong and salient social cue arousing the observer, and preparing him or her to respond to a potential threat.…”

Section: From Shared Activations To Shared Representationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From shared to distinct self–other representations in empathy: evidence from neurotypical function and socio-cognitive disorders

Lamm

Bukowski

Silani

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

203

167

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One contribution of 16 to a theme issue 'Understanding self and other: from origins to disorders'. Neuroscientific research has identified two fundamental components of empathy: shared emotional representations between self and other, and self-other distinction. The concept of shared representations suggests that during empathy, we co-represent another person's affect by engaging brain and bodily functions underpinning the first-hand experience of the emotion we are empathizing with. This possible grounding of empathy in our own emotional experiences explains the necessity for self-other distinction, which is the capacity to correctly distinguish between our own affective representations and those related to the other. In spite of the importance of these two components in empathy, several aspects still remain controversial. This paper addresses some of them and focuses on (i) the distinction between shared activations versus representations, raising the question what shared representations entail in terms of the underlying neural mechanisms, (ii) the possible mechanisms behind self-other distinction in the cognitive and the affective domains, and whether they have distinct neural underpinnings and (iii) the consequences associated with a selective impairment of one of the two components, thereby addressing their importance in mental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, psychopathy and alexithymia.

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Section: From Shared Activations To Shared Representationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From shared to distinct self–other representations in empathy: evidence from neurotypical function and socio-cognitive disorders

Lamm

Bukowski

Silani

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

203

167

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Acute physical pain is known to spark specific and complex physiological responses, evinced by increased skin conductance, faster heart rate, and higher levels of blood cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, heralding pain-activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system (Benarroch & Sandroni, 2005;Pacák & McCarty, 2000). Neuroimaging studies show pain is associated with activity in an extensive subcortical and cortical network, referred to as the pain matrix (Legrain, Iannetti, Plaghki, & Mouraux, 2011;Melzack, 1999Melzack, , 2005. This network integrates ascending signals and modulates descending feedback, and includes the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, periaqueductal grey, primary somatosensory cortex and prefrontal cortex (C. R. Chapman, 2005;Coghill, McHaffie, & Yen, 2003;Eisenberger, 2012c;Tracey, 2010).…”

Section: Biological Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They suggested that the observed patterns of activation might not be exclusive to social or physical pain experiences but rather to multiple salient categories of stimuli, for instance, stimuli broadly pertaining to threat (see also Legrain et al, 2011). Furthermore, Iannetti et al (2013) raised the possibility that perceptual differences in the experiences of social and physical pain could be better characterised with novel neuroimaging analysis techniques (e.g., .…”

Section: What Is Pain? 'Hurt Feelings' and Feeling Hurtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The characterisation of a diagnostic neurologic signature for pain has also been debated (Apkarian, 2013;Legrain et al, 2011;Mouraux, Diukova, Lee, Wise, & Iannetti, 2011;see also, Poldrack, 2006). A wide variety of brain areas are activated when experiencing pain, including the somatosensory cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, insula, cingulate cortex, as well as frontal and parietal areas (Legrain et al, 2011).…”

Section: Measuring Pain Communication and Pain-related Brain Activationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A wide variety of brain areas are activated when experiencing pain, including the somatosensory cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, insula, cingulate cortex, as well as frontal and parietal areas (Legrain et al, 2011). In this study we were particularly interested in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (AI) given that these regions across the neuroimaging literature are most consistently implicated when experiencing physical pain (Lamm, Decety, & Singer, 2011;Peyron, Laurent, & Garcia-Larrea, 2000;Rainville, Duncan, Price, Carrier, & Bushnell, 1997).…”

Section: Measuring Pain Communication and Pain-related Brain Activationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeling hurt: advances in the social psychology of pain

Ferris¹

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Pain is a fundamental part of the human condition. It aids survival, indicates threats to bodily integrity, and forms a part of life-transitions and rites of passage from childbirth to death.Pain is experienced within a sociocultural context and attracts a constellation of different meanings -pain as damage, a sign of effort, or pain as cleansing or purifying, such as in religious practice.This thesis advances a novel approach to the human experience of pain as a functional part of our social world. Pain is conceptualised with a biopsychosocial approach, in which pain is seen as more than nociception. Four key frontiers in the social psychological understanding of pain are broached: revisiting how physical pain may relate to the experience of social rejection or ostracism (hurt feelings); how social groups can affect our experience of pain; and how sharing pain and enjoyment can bring us closer to others in our social world -but may also turn others away. I examine these focal areas with a conceptualisation of pain underpinned by the biopsychosocial model, where pain can be viewed as an experience that is biological, psychological, and social in nature, and which must incorporate these key components to be fulsomely understood.In detail, Chapter 1 introduces the thesis with an overview of the literature along with the aims and scope of the work. Next Chapter 2 is a theoretical chapter which reviews the literature on physical and social pain overlap theory and offers a new synthesis of the relationship between physical and social pain. In essence, the overlap concept binds social pain with the tangibility of physical pain and promises a unified understanding of pain and suffering. However, fMRI evidence now casts doubt on the posited neural basis of overlap. This thesis proposes a conceptualisation of pain overlap that reconnects with the principles of a biopsychosocial approach, and supports recognition of convergence as well as overlap. By unpacking the antecedents, cognitions, and emotions that are associated with each pain, the question of overlap versus difference can be better understood.Chapters 3 is an empirical examination of how groups can affect our experience of pain. The chapter presents the findings of an fMRI study into the impact of social group memberships on the experience and communication of pain. This research shows fMRI and behavioural evidence that salient group memberships facilitate pain communication. Furthermore, to the extent that people reported more pain in response to salient social groups stimuli, we found corresponding changes in brain activation in areas associated with pain experience (insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). This suggests an adaptive response to pain, whereby modulating pain communication in line with salient group memberships may produce a relative reduction in pain-associated brain activation.Chapters 4 and 5 turn the spotlight on pleasure and enjoyment alongside pain. These chapters provide field and experimental evidence that sharing pain and e...

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