The oxytocinergic system modulates sadistic context-dependent empathy in humans

The oxytocinergic system is crucial for sociality and well-being and is associated with empathy. It is suggested that the oxytocinergic system exerts context- and person-dependent effects. We examined how sexual sadistic contexts influenced the effects of the oxytocinergic system on empathic-related...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2017-09, Vol.7 (1), p.12463-10, Article 12463
Main Authors: Luo, Siyang, Zhu, Yiyi, Xu, Ying, Kong, Qianting
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/378/1457
631/378/2645
631/378/3919
631/477/2811
EEG
Emotions
Empathy
Humanities and Social Sciences
Intranasal administration
multidisciplinary
Neuroimaging
Oxytocin
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Well being
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Summary:The oxytocinergic system is crucial for sociality and well-being and is associated with empathy. It is suggested that the oxytocinergic system exerts context- and person-dependent effects. We examined how sexual sadistic contexts influenced the effects of the oxytocinergic system on empathic-related behaviors and brain activity in healthy adults. Combining genetic neuroimaging, pharmacological techniques and a psychological paradigm of empathy, we recorded EEG neural responses in female OXTR rs53756 G/G and A/A carriers and measured subjective empathic ratings after intranasal administration of oxytocin/placebo in healthy male adults during the perception of painful facial expressions in sadistic/general social contexts. The results revealed that sadistic contexts modulate oxytocinergic effects on empathy at both behavioral and neural levels. The oxytocinergic system preferentially modulated empathic responses to sadistic contexts. These effects are moderated by individual’s trait empathy. Our combined genetic-pharmacological-imaging results provide a neurochemical mechanism for sadistic context-dependent effects of the oxytocinergic system on empathy.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-12671-2