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Influence of Two Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of the Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) on Empathy: the Mediation Role of a Primary Emotion, CARE
- Source :
- Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. 71:252-261
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020.
-
Abstract
- To feel other’s pain would elicit empathy. Some theorists hypothesized that observing other’s pain may activate the primary emotion of maternal care instinct, which may function as a precursor of empathy. The maternal care instinct and empathy share the same genetic background and neuroendocrine underpinnings. An extensive body of research has shown that maternal behaviors relate to the oxytocinergic system, which has a strong influence on empathy. These studies suggest that the maternal care instinct may mediate the effect of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) on empathy. To provide evidence for this mediation, we used the subscale of CARE in Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) to measure the maternal care instinct and tested two OXTR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs53576 and rs13316193, in 880 high school participants (588 females, 292 males; Mage = 16.51 years old, SD = 0.65). Results showed that the genotype of rs13316193 was indirectly associated with empathy via CARE, suggesting a mediating role of CARE in the pathway from OXTR to empathy. These findings may contribute to an understanding of how empathy emerges when one witnesses another person in pain.
- Subjects :
- Male
Personality Tests
0301 basic medicine
Mediation (statistics)
Adolescent
Genotype
media_common.quotation_subject
Psychology, Adolescent
Single-nucleotide polymorphism
Empathy
Affective neuroscience
Oxytocin
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Developmental psychology
03 medical and health sciences
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
0302 clinical medicine
Asian People
Surveys and Questionnaires
Limbic System
Humans
Personality
Neurochemistry
Maternal Behavior
media_common
General Medicine
Oxytocin receptor
Instinct
030104 developmental biology
Receptors, Oxytocin
Female
Psychology
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15591166 and 08958696
- Volume :
- 71
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Molecular Neuroscience
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....cb755f0b11614a07ab7421e91748ae5d