Behavioral and neural effects of right temporoparietal junction itbs during empathy processing in women

Abstract

The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is one neural region that has been implicated in empathy in previous studies. However, prior findings regarding its role have been inconsistent. Moreover, methodological limitations in earlier research, including the use of suboptimal empathy assessment tasks and the lack of neuroimaging measures, have made it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the contribution of this region to empathy. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the rTPJ in empathy. In an open-label study, 16 female participants received intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) targeted to the rTPJ using neuronavigation. Behaviorally, iTBS produced a significant change in reaction time for both cognitive and affective components of empathy, while no significant changes were observed in accuracy or questionnaire scores. iTBS over the rTPJ increased functional connectivity (FC) between the right anterior insula and the left TPJ, while decreasing FC between the left lateral temporal cortex and the anterior medial prefrontal cortex. Overall, this study did not provide clear evidence for a role of the rTPJ in empathy; future research should better distinguish theory of mind (ToM) from empathy and consider stimulation of rTPJ subregions.