Anterior Insular Cortex Associated With Human Empathy
An international team led by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine has for the first time shown that one area of the brain, called the anterior insular cortex, is the activity center of human empathy, whereas other areas of the brain are not. "Now that we know the specific brain mechanisms associated with empathy, we can translate these findings into disease categories and learn why these empathic responses are deficient in neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as autism," said Patrick R. Hof, MD, Regenstreif Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai, a co-author of the study.
- Dr. Patrick R. Hof, Professor and Vice-Chair, Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
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