健康与遗传心理学研究室知识库

    共情可以使人类理解和共享他人的情绪、感受，使社会成员更容易形成关系，促进亲社会行为的产生，增进社交和社会凝聚力。因此，对共情机制的研究具有重要的社会意义。
目前对共情的研究依然无法得到共情的神经环路及分子机制等信息。随着近年的研究发现在动物之中也存在共情现象，我们除了可以通过脑成像技术对人类被试共情的脑活动进行分析，还可以利用模式动物建立共情模型，从基因和分子水平探索共情的神经机制。其中动物模型的建立是动物共情研究的基础。
     研究一在总结己有啮齿动物共情研究模型特点的基础上，建立了大鼠疼痛共J情模型。采用旷场与热板组成模型装置，记录旷场中的观察者在观察热板上的被观察者时的行为。发现动物在中央区域的若干活动参数如停留时间、进入潜伏期等可以作为共情指标。研究二考察被观察者在接受不同强度的疼痛刺激时，观察者的共情行为随之发生改变的规律。结果表明在一定范围内，观察者的共情行为随着被观察者所受的疼痛刺激强度而增加;但若此刺激强度超过了这一范围，则共情行为反而减弱，表现出恐惧回避行为。研究三对观察者侧脑室分别注射生理盐水和0.1 fig,  1 fig,  10}g催产素，探索不同剂量的催产素对大鼠共情行为的影响。研究发现较大剂量(10ug)催产素可增加大鼠的共情样行为。
    本研究建立大鼠疼痛共情模型，考察了疼痛强度和中枢注射催产素对该模型中共情样行为的调节，验证了模型的合理性。大鼠共情模型的成功建立，为今后关于共情的中枢和分子机制研究奠定了基础。

    Empathy helped people understand the feelings of others by sharing the emotions of others. Empathy makes it easier for society members communicated better perform pro-social behavior with each other. Therefore, the study of empathy mechanisms has important to build harmonious society.
    The neural loops, molecular mechanisms and other detailed information about empathy still unknown based on studies on empathy today. In recent years, researchers have found that empathy also exists in animals. In addition to analyzing the brain activity of human subjects by brain imaging technology, we are able to use animal models to study empathy from gene and molecular levels, exploring the neural mechanisms of empathy. The establishment of animal model is the basis of these studies.
    Study 1 established the pain empathy model in rats based on the characteristics of existing rodent empathy models in previous researches. The device of the model was assembled with an open field and a hot plate. The behavior of observers in open field was recorded while observing the demonstrator on hot plate. It was found that some activity parameters of observers such as duration time, entry latency, etc. in the center area can be used as empathy indicators. Study 2 examines the regularity of observer's empathic behavior changes when demonstrators undergoing different intensity pain stimulus. The results showed that within a certain range, observers' empathic behavior increases with the intensity of pain stimulus received by demonstrators. However, if stimulating intensity exceeds the range, the empathic behaviors were weakened, showed fear avoidance behavior. Study 3 explored the effect of different doses of oxytocin in rats' empathic behaviors by injection of normal saline or 0.1 gg, 1 gg, and 10 gg oxytocin into the observer's lateral ventricle. This study found that larger dose (10 gg) of oxytocin increase the rat's empathic behaviors.
    In this study, a pain empathy model in rats was established. Then the regulation of empathic behavior by pain intensity and central injection of oxytocin were in examined this model. The rationality of the model was verified. The successful establishment of the rat empathy model laid the foundation for future research on the central and molecular mechanisms of empathy.