Empathy, violence and the brain

Researchers have investigated the brain structures involved with empathy - in other words, the ability to put oneself in another person's position - and carried out a scientific review of them. They conclude that the brain circuits responsible for empathy are in part the same as those involved with violence. The study concludes that the prefrontal and temporal cortex, the amygdala and other features of the limbic system (such as insulin and the cingulated cortex) play a fundamental role in all situations in which empathy appears. The researchers say these parts of the brain overlap in a surprising way with those that regulate aggression and violence. As a result, the scientific team argues that the cerebral circuits - for both empathy and violence - could be partially similar. Techniques for measuring the human brain in vivo, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, are making it possible to find out more about the structures of the brain that regulate behavior and psychological processes such as empathy.