Anterior cingulate cortex regulates emotional contagion of pain in mice

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K07355
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 51020:Cognitive and brain science-related
• Research Institution: Dokkyo Medical University (2020); Azabu University (2018-2019)
• Principal Investigator: Nomoto Kensaku 獨協医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (30786976)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 情動伝染 / 共感 / マウス / 神経活動計測 / 前部帯状皮質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Animals that observe other individuals of the same species in pain exhibit pain-related behaviors such as freezing. This phenomenon is called emotion contagion of pain, and is thought to be the precursor of empathy. We have established an experimental system that can reproducibly induce pain-emotion contagion using the hybrid strain of MSM, a wild-derived strain, and C57BL/6J. Next, we measured neural activity by using fiber photometry from mice undergoing emotional contagion of pain. We found that the anterior cingulate cortex was activated when mice observed pain behavior of other individuals. Using pharmacogenetics, we obtained preliminary results that the projection from the anterior cingulate cortex to the periaqueductal gray played an important role in emotion contagion of pain.

Free Research Field

システム神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我々は前部帯状皮質、さらに前部帯状皮質から水道周囲灰白質への投射が痛み情動伝染に重要な役割を果たすことを見出した。これは高次連合野による本能行動のトップダウン制御に関わっていると考えられる。痛み情動伝染は、ヒトにおける「共感性」の起源的機能とも考えられており、その神経機構の解明は、「共感性」の機能障害を伴う精神疾患、また、他者信号を上手く行動選択に活かせない精神疾患の病態生理の理解に役立ち、有用な介入方法の開発につながる可能性がある。