Picower Special Seminar with Hee-Sup Shin, MD, PhD, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), South Korea

• Date: Friday, August 14, 2026

• Time: 3:00pm

• Location: Picower Seminar Room (46-3310, Third Fl of MIT Building 46)

• Faculty Host: Li-Huei Tsai

• This seminar is offered in-person only.
   

Talk Title: Neurobiology of Empathy: Cortical vs Sub-cortical Circuits Controlling Empathy for Negative vs Positive Affect in Mice

Abstract: Empathy is the capacity to recognize and share others’ emotional experiences, serving as the foundation for diverse social behaviors. While empathy was historically considered unique to humans and higher primates—with research predominantly relying on fMRI studies—recent advances have expanded this view. Observational fear, a form of emotional contagion, is considered a core component of affective empathy and a highly conserved trait observed across many species. The development of observational fear assays in rodents has provided a valuable framework for investigating the neurobiology of empathy for negative affect, identifying the anterior cingulate cortex as the central hub in this process. Conversely, while research on empathy for positive affect has lagged, our recent studies highlight the critical involvement of subcortical circuits. In this talk, I will provide an overview of current research on the neurobiology of empathy for negative affect and introduce our recent findings on empathy for positive affect.