An EEG Hyperscanning study
03/02/2026 at 10:02:56
Author: Sebastian Moguilner
Blog
Correspondence of Late Positive Potentials as biomarker of compassion: An EEG Hyperscanning study
Compassion is an empathic reaction that induces feelings of concern for another person's suffering, which can lead to costly punish unfair behavior (Social Interaction). A novel study investigated its neural correlates with EEG [1]. Compassion can be investigated (Behavioral Research Lab) by means of the Third Party Punishment paradigm [2,3], where a dictator splits a sum of money with a receiver according to different fairness levels. A third party (Brain Stimulation) observes the interaction between dictator and receiver and can decide to punish the former's behavior. The perception of actions fairness has been investigated by means of specific event-related potentials (ERPs) (EEG ERP BCI) like Late Positive Potentials (LPP) in monetary exchange games [4], [5] reflecting attention to emotional stimuli [6]. However, these studies focused on the person targeted by the unfair behavior, without considering the third-party reaction. In this study, the researchers used a hyperscanning approach [7] for investigating the synchrony of fairness related ERPs between the two subjects as biomarker of the compassion established between them.
Methods:
21 pairs of male subjects (23.46 ± 3.7 years) were involved in TPP [3]. They focused on the empathic interaction between the receiver and the punisher. For details about the paradigm see [8].
EEG traces were simultaneously acquired from receiver and punisher through a 64 channels cap for each subject (fs=250 Hz, high-pass filter of 0.1 Hz), pre-processed (band-pass filter 1-45 Hz, ocular artifacts rejection) and segmented in the window (-0.5;1) according to fair and hyperunfair conditions. EEG waveforms were averaged across trials for each subject and condition. A Grand Average was then obtained for each condition by averaging the traces related to different subjects according to their role (receiver and punisher). Amplitude and latency of LPP were extracted from each subject and each condition. A paired statistical analysis (t-test, p<0.05) was then used to assess differences between fair and hyperunfair conditions in amplitude and latency of LPP, separately for the two groups (receivers, punishers).
EEG traces were simultaneously acquired from receiver and punisher through a 64 channels cap for each subject (fs=250 Hz, high-pass filter of 0.1 Hz), pre-processed (band-pass filter 1-45 Hz, ocular artifacts rejection) and segmented in the window (-0.5;1) according to fair and hyperunfair conditions. EEG waveforms were averaged across trials for each subject and condition. A Grand Average was then obtained for each condition by averaging the traces related to different subjects according to their role (receiver and punisher). Amplitude and latency of LPP were extracted from each subject and each condition. A paired statistical analysis (t-test, p<0.05) was then used to assess differences between fair and hyperunfair conditions in amplitude and latency of LPP, separately for the two groups (receivers, punishers).
Results:
In Fig.1 they reported Grand Average waveforms related to fair and hyperunfair conditions obtained for receivers (panel a) and punishers (panel b) respectively. Worth of note is the presence of a clear positive peak around 600 ms mainly located over posterior areas in both groups. Such peak is higher in fair condition with respect to the hyperunfair one. The statistical analysis confirmed the higher magnitude of LPP peak in fair with respect to hyperunfair condition for both receivers and punishers groups (Fig.2). No differences in the LPP latency were
obtained.
obtained.
Conclusions:
To our knowledge, this is the first time in which the empathy-related LPP has been investigated simultaneously in both receiver and punisher by means of a hyperscanning approach. According to the literature, our results showed higher LPP peak in fair than in unfair condition for the receiver [4], [5]. Moreover, here we reported LPP also in individuals looking at that action with the possibility to punish it (the punisher). The phenomenon happened in both groups (receivers and punishers) with the same magnitude, topology and latency. The researchers claim that the third-party altruistic punishment is encouraged probably by the same fairness perception (same automatic brain responses) of a second-party individual, as a possible consequence of compassion. Results showed also the importance to study social behavior by means of EEG hyperscanning: EEG allowed to capture automatic brain responses in temporal scales below one second, while the hyperscanning permits to study the synchrony of sharing emotional state between punisher and receiver.
References
[1] Jlenia Toppi, Angela Ciaramidaro, Christine Freitag, Chantal Casper, Pascal Voegel, Michael Siniatchkin and Laura Astolfi. (2019). Correspondence of Late Positive Potentials as biomarker of compassion: An EEG Hyperscanning study.
[2] T. Singer and O. M. Klimecki (2014), “Empathy and compassion,” Curr. Biol. CB, vol. 24, no. 18, pp. R875-878.
[3] T. Baumgartner, L. Götte, R. Gügler, and E. Fehr (2012), “The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement,” Hum. Brain Mapp., vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 1452–1469.
[4] M. Chen, Z. Zhao, and H. Lai (2018), “The time course of neural responses to social versus non-social unfairness in the ultimatum game,” Soc. Neurosci., pp. 1–11.
[5] Y. Wu, Y. Zhou, E. van Dijk, M. C. Leliveld, and X. Zhou (2011), “Social Comparison Affects Brain Responses to Fairness in Asset Division: An ERP Study with the Ultimatum Game,” Front. Hum. Neurosci., vol. 5, p. 131.
[6] Y. Liu, H. Huang, M. McGinnis-Deweese, A. Keil, and M. Ding (2012), “Neural Substrate of the Late Positive Potential in Emotional Processing,” J. Neurosci., vol. 32, no. 42, pp. 14563–14572.
[7] F. Babiloni and L. Astolfi (2014), “Social neuroscience and hyperscanning techniques: past, present and future,” Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev., vol. 44, pp. 76–93.
[8] A. Ciaramidaro, J. Toppi, C. Casper, C. M. Freitag, M. Siniatchkin, and L. Astolfi (2018), “Multiple-Brain Connectivity During Third Party Punishment: an EEG Hyperscanning Study,” Sci. Rep., vol. 8, no. 1, p. 6822.
References
[1] Jlenia Toppi, Angela Ciaramidaro, Christine Freitag, Chantal Casper, Pascal Voegel, Michael Siniatchkin and Laura Astolfi. (2019). Correspondence of Late Positive Potentials as biomarker of compassion: An EEG Hyperscanning study.
[2] T. Singer and O. M. Klimecki (2014), “Empathy and compassion,” Curr. Biol. CB, vol. 24, no. 18, pp. R875-878.
[3] T. Baumgartner, L. Götte, R. Gügler, and E. Fehr (2012), “The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement,” Hum. Brain Mapp., vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 1452–1469.
[4] M. Chen, Z. Zhao, and H. Lai (2018), “The time course of neural responses to social versus non-social unfairness in the ultimatum game,” Soc. Neurosci., pp. 1–11.
[5] Y. Wu, Y. Zhou, E. van Dijk, M. C. Leliveld, and X. Zhou (2011), “Social Comparison Affects Brain Responses to Fairness in Asset Division: An ERP Study with the Ultimatum Game,” Front. Hum. Neurosci., vol. 5, p. 131.
[6] Y. Liu, H. Huang, M. McGinnis-Deweese, A. Keil, and M. Ding (2012), “Neural Substrate of the Late Positive Potential in Emotional Processing,” J. Neurosci., vol. 32, no. 42, pp. 14563–14572.
[7] F. Babiloni and L. Astolfi (2014), “Social neuroscience and hyperscanning techniques: past, present and future,” Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev., vol. 44, pp. 76–93.
[8] A. Ciaramidaro, J. Toppi, C. Casper, C. M. Freitag, M. Siniatchkin, and L. Astolfi (2018), “Multiple-Brain Connectivity During Third Party Punishment: an EEG Hyperscanning Study,” Sci. Rep., vol. 8, no. 1, p. 6822.
NIRS EEG Hyperscanner
¿Cuál es la pregunta? Diseño experimental
Qual é a pergunta? Experimental Design
Jiwasa y Hyperscanner: Cuando lo colectivo se vuelve dato (sin volverse colonización)
Jiwasa and Hyperscanner: When the Collective Becomes Data (Without Becoming Colonization)
Jiwasa e Hyperscanner: Quando o coletivo vira dado (sem virar colonização)
La percepción no es un canal: es un estado
Perception Is Not a Channel: It’s a State
Percepção Não é Canal: é Estado
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#EEG
#Decolonial
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#Jiwasa
#Neuroergonomics
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Autor: Sebastian Moguilner
#neuroscience #brain-stimulation #social-interaction #neurophilosophy #risk-and-uncertainty #self-perception-consciousness #bienestar-wellness-bem-estar #cultural-neuroscience
