The Neural Signature of Empathy for Physical Pain … Not Quite There Yet!

The perception and evaluation of other’s pain has been largely used in social neuroscience as a paradigm to study human empathy. Thanks to the growing attention given to this concept over the last 15 years, the cerebral bases of empathy in the context of physical pain are increasingly well documented. The aim of this chapter is to provide a critical overview of the most recent evidence while fostering discussion about the extent to which the cerebral changes associated with empathy can lead to a specific signature of this key process of social interactions. The authors firstly clarify the complex definition of empathy and its principal components, and make a clear distinction between pain perception in others, empathy and the behavioral outputs that can follow. Secondly, the cerebral networks underlying the distinct, yet interacting, components of empathy for physical pain are defined. Lastly, recent work on the factors that are likely to modulate empathy and these cerebral networks is discussed. The study of brain function has advanced our understanding of empathy in the context of physical pain considerably, but the complexity of this often fleeting process, especially in healthcare, is such that multiple levels of analysis will be needed to fully uncover its mysteries.