Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.

Empathizing is defined as the drive to identify the mental states of others for predicting their behavior and responding with an appropriate emotion. Systemizing is defined as the drive to analyze a system in terms of the rules that govern the system in order to predict its behavior. Using voxel-bas...

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Main Authors: Hikaru Takeuchi, Yasuyuki Taki, Yuko Sassa, Hiroshi Hashizume, Atsushi Sekiguchi, Ai Fukushima, Ryuta Kawashima
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3883687?pdf=render
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author Hikaru Takeuchi
Yasuyuki Taki
Yuko Sassa
Hiroshi Hashizume
Atsushi Sekiguchi
Ai Fukushima
Ryuta Kawashima
author_facet Hikaru Takeuchi
Yasuyuki Taki
Yuko Sassa
Hiroshi Hashizume
Atsushi Sekiguchi
Ai Fukushima
Ryuta Kawashima
author_sort Hikaru Takeuchi
collection DOAJ
description Empathizing is defined as the drive to identify the mental states of others for predicting their behavior and responding with an appropriate emotion. Systemizing is defined as the drive to analyze a system in terms of the rules that govern the system in order to predict its behavior. Using voxel-based morphometry and questionnaires in a large sample of normal, right-handed young adults, we investigated the regional gray matter volume (rGMV) correlates of empathizing and systemizing and additionally those of the D score, which is the difference between systemizing and empathizing, to reveal the comprehensive picture of those correlates. Negative rGMV correlates of empathizing and positive rGMV correlates of the D score (formed by the negative correlation between rGMV and empathizing), were found primarily in nodes in the default mode network, mirror neuron system, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the lateral part of the prefrontal cortex together with other areas. Positive rGMV correlates of systemizing and of the D score (formed by the positive correlation between rGMV and systemizing) were found primarily in nodes in the external attention system, middle cingulate cortex, and other regions. Negative rGMV correlates of systemizing were found in an area close to the left posterior insula and putamen. These findings reconcile some previously inconsistent findings, provide other new findings and suggest that these areas contribute to empathizing-systemizing. Furthermore, the negative/positive rGMV correlates of empathizing and positive/negative rGMV correlates of systemizing overlapped substantially. This may be in line with the notion that empathizing and systemizing compete neurally in the brain.
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spelling doaj.art-4d43a813ed4e411ca61fd50f21d686082022-12-22T03:36:41ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0191e8478210.1371/journal.pone.0084782Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.Hikaru TakeuchiYasuyuki TakiYuko SassaHiroshi HashizumeAtsushi SekiguchiAi FukushimaRyuta KawashimaEmpathizing is defined as the drive to identify the mental states of others for predicting their behavior and responding with an appropriate emotion. Systemizing is defined as the drive to analyze a system in terms of the rules that govern the system in order to predict its behavior. Using voxel-based morphometry and questionnaires in a large sample of normal, right-handed young adults, we investigated the regional gray matter volume (rGMV) correlates of empathizing and systemizing and additionally those of the D score, which is the difference between systemizing and empathizing, to reveal the comprehensive picture of those correlates. Negative rGMV correlates of empathizing and positive rGMV correlates of the D score (formed by the negative correlation between rGMV and empathizing), were found primarily in nodes in the default mode network, mirror neuron system, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the lateral part of the prefrontal cortex together with other areas. Positive rGMV correlates of systemizing and of the D score (formed by the positive correlation between rGMV and systemizing) were found primarily in nodes in the external attention system, middle cingulate cortex, and other regions. Negative rGMV correlates of systemizing were found in an area close to the left posterior insula and putamen. These findings reconcile some previously inconsistent findings, provide other new findings and suggest that these areas contribute to empathizing-systemizing. Furthermore, the negative/positive rGMV correlates of empathizing and positive/negative rGMV correlates of systemizing overlapped substantially. This may be in line with the notion that empathizing and systemizing compete neurally in the brain.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3883687?pdf=render
spellingShingle Hikaru Takeuchi
Yasuyuki Taki
Yuko Sassa
Hiroshi Hashizume
Atsushi Sekiguchi
Ai Fukushima
Ryuta Kawashima
Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.
PLoS ONE
title Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.
title_full Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.
title_fullStr Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.
title_full_unstemmed Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.
title_short Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.
title_sort regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3883687?pdf=render
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