An rTMS study of social rejection: Effect of trait empathy
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1
Monash University, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Center, Australia
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2
University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, United States
Background
Social pain describes the experience of actual or potential damage to one’s feeling of social connection or value through such means as rejection, exclusion, and loss. Neuroimaging findings over the last decade have identified that similar neural networks active in response to social pain are also involved in physical pain; the experience that comes with actual or potential tissue damage. Although etiologically dissimilar, brain stimulation methods applied to induce pain relief may therefore also reduce the negative experience of social pain.
Methods
In this double-blind pilot study, we used low-frequency (1Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in 18 healthy participants (8 active; 10 sham). Following stimulation, participants played the ‘Cyberball task’; an online ball-tossing game where the subject is either included or excluded from the other players. Following each condition, participants completed a questionnaire exploring levels of social distress, ostracism, group cohesion and mood. Prior to stimulation, participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure trait empathy.
Results
Compared to the sham rTMS group, participants who underwent active rTMS reported increased positive mood and reduced overall negative scores in response to the inclusion condition. No differences were seen between groups in response to the exclusion condition. In a secondary analysis, we explored whether the relationship between trait empathy and questionnaire responses following inclusion and exclusion is affected by active stimulation. Correlation analysis within the active group found a significant relationship between positive mood following the exclusion condition and greater scores on the perspective taking subscale of the IRI. No relationship was found between these variables following sham stimulation or in response to the inclusion condition.
Discussion
These pilot findings suggest left DLPFC rTMS may increase positive emotion during social interactions in general. Although we did not find that rTMS altered the negative effects of the exclusion condition, we did identify that trait empathy was related to more positive mood following social rejection. As this relationship was not identified in the sham rTMS group, this preliminary study highlights the need to further explore the effects of individual differences on response to rTMS.
Keywords:
social pain,
social rejection,
Empathy,
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS),
Brain Stimulation
Conference:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Oral
Topic:
Emotion and Social
Citation:
Fitzgibbon
BM,
Kirkovski
M,
Green
A,
Eisenberger
N,
Fitzgerald
P and
Enticott
PG
(2013). An rTMS study of social rejection: Effect of trait empathy.
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00179
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Received:
15 Oct 2013;
Published Online:
25 Nov 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Bernadette M Fitzgibbon, Monash University, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Center, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, bernadette.fitzgibbon@monash.edu