The gradient model of brain organization in decisions involving “empathy for pain”

A collection of 11 brain maps. Each brain map is a 3D array of values representing properties of the brain at different locations.

### Collection description

<p>Recent meta-analytic studies of social cognition and the functional imaging of empathy <br>have exposed the overlap between their neural substrates and heteromodal association areas <br>characterized by extensive long-range connectivity. The ‘gradient model’ of cortical <br>organization proposes a close relationship between these heteromodal association areas and <br>the default mode network. Here, we used a decision-making task and representational <br>similarity analysis with classic ‘empathy for pain’ visual stimuli to probe the relationship <br>between high-level representations of imminent pain in others and task deactivations as <br>proposed by this model. High-level representations were found to co-localize with task <br>deactivations or the transitions from activations to deactivations. These deactivations may <br>be classified in two groups: those that load on the high end of the cortical gradient and are <br>typically associated with the default mode network, and those that appeared to accompany <br>functional repurposing of somatosensory cortex in the presence of visual stimuli. By <br>considering the existing literature on these areas, we argue that a functional <br>characterization in terms of simple mappings is unlikely, and propose an involvement in <br>computing schematic representations providing top-down guidance to interpret incoming <br>stimuli and predict outcomes. We anticipate that an increased understanding of schematic <br>processing in the social and emotional domain may benefit models of cortical function <br>relevant to understand social interactions and psychopathology.</p>