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Advanced Neurology The anterior cingulate cortex in social empathy

neural circuits of the brain associated with empathy and All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of work,
brain areas that are causally associated with empathic ensuring integrity, and accuracy.
behaviors, such as the ACC. Over the years, a wealth Ethics approval and consent to participate
of data has been accumulated, which include not only
the emotional states of their conspecifics, but also the Not applicable.
prosocial behaviors driven by such shared experiences
in rodents. The establishment of rodent empathy models Consent for publication
has provided more possibilities to precisely modulate Not applicable.
neural networks and delineate the connected neural
circuits underlying empathic behaviors using techniques Availability of data
that monitor and manipulate neural activities at higher Not applicable.
resolution. It also allows for thorough preclinical
screening of potential therapeutic agents. This gives an References
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Acknowledgments 5. Wardwell J, Watanasriyakul WT, Normann MC, et al.,
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None. a sibling experience a direct stressor in prairie voles. Stress
(Amsterdam, Netherlands), 23: 444–456.
Funding https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2020.1724950
This work was supported by the National Natural 6. Decety J, Bartal IB, Uzefovsky F, et al., 2016, Empathy
Science Foundation of China (No. 82221001 Foundation as a driver of prosocial behaviour: Highly conserved
of Innovation Research Groups to Professor Shengxi neurobehavioural mechanisms across species. Philos Trans
Wu and No. 32271056 to Professor Hui Xu) and the R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 371: 20150077.
University Science & Technology Fund Planning Project https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0077
(No. 2022XC002 to Professor Hui Xu).
7. Kiyokawa Y, 2017, Social odors: Alarm pheromones and
Conflict of interest social buffering. Curr Top Behav Neurosci, 30: 47–65.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2015_406
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Author contributions An investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high

Conceptualization: Fanbo Meng, Fancheng Meng, Yue Cui, functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism
Dev Disord, 34: 163–175.
Hui Xu
Writing – original draft: Fanbo Meng, Fancheng Meng, https://doi.org/10.1023/b: jadd.0000022607.19833.00
Shengxi Wu, Hui Xu 9. Derntl B, Seidel EM, Schneider F, et al., 2012, How specific
Writing – review & editing: Xuyang Li, Wenye Huang, Qian are emotional deficits? A comparison of empathic abilities
Xue, Zhantao Bai in schizophrenia, bipolar and depressed patients. Schizophr

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