TY - JOUR
T1 - Neural Network Excitation/Inhibition
T2 - A Key to Empathy and Empathy Impairment
AU - Tang, Yuanhong
AU - Wang, Chunjian
AU - Li, Qingquan
AU - Liu, Gang
AU - Song, Da
AU - Quan, Zhenzhen
AU - Yan, Yan
AU - Qing, Hong
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Empathy is an ability to fully understand and feel the mental states of others. We emphasize that empathy is elicited by the transmission of pain, fear, and sensory information. In clinical studies, impaired empathy has been observed in most psychiatric conditions. However, the precise impairment mechanism of the network systems on the pathogenesis of empathy impairment in psychiatric disorders is still unclear. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that disturbances in the excitatory/inhibitory balance in neurologic disorders are key to empathetic impairment in psychiatric disorders. Therefore, we here describe the roles played by the anterior cingulate cortex– and medial prefrontal cortex–dependent neural circuits and their impairments in psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and autism. In addition, we review recent studies on the role of microglia in neural network excitation/inhibition imbalance, which contributes to a better understanding of the neural network excitation/inhibition imbalance and may open up innovative psychiatric therapies.
AB - Empathy is an ability to fully understand and feel the mental states of others. We emphasize that empathy is elicited by the transmission of pain, fear, and sensory information. In clinical studies, impaired empathy has been observed in most psychiatric conditions. However, the precise impairment mechanism of the network systems on the pathogenesis of empathy impairment in psychiatric disorders is still unclear. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that disturbances in the excitatory/inhibitory balance in neurologic disorders are key to empathetic impairment in psychiatric disorders. Therefore, we here describe the roles played by the anterior cingulate cortex– and medial prefrontal cortex–dependent neural circuits and their impairments in psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and autism. In addition, we review recent studies on the role of microglia in neural network excitation/inhibition imbalance, which contributes to a better understanding of the neural network excitation/inhibition imbalance and may open up innovative psychiatric therapies.
KW - circuit
KW - empathy
KW - excitatory/inhibitory balance
KW - microglia
KW - psychiatric disorders
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185670576&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/10738584231223119
DO - 10.1177/10738584231223119
M3 - Review article
C2 - 38347700
AN - SCOPUS:85185670576
SN - 1073-8584
VL - 30
SP - 644
EP - 665
JO - Neuroscientist
JF - Neuroscientist
IS - 6
ER -