南方科技大学医学院宋学军小组在研究中取得进展。他们开发出啮齿动物前扣带皮层催产素和皮质酮平衡决定疼痛传染的性别差异。2025年8月6日，国际知名学术期刊《神经科学通报》发表了这一成果。

该研究团队报告疼痛传染可以发生在陌生的雌性大鼠中，但不会发生在陌生的雄性大鼠中。阻断前扣带皮层（ACC）中的催产素受体抑制了女性陌生人的疼痛传染，而催产素则诱导了男性陌生人的疼痛传染。在体外，皮质酮通过催产素减少神经元的激活。在男性陌生人互动中，较高的皮质酮降低了前扣带中催产素受体阳性的神经元活动，抑制了疼痛传染。这些发现强调了催产素在疼痛传染中的作用，并表明移情的性别差异可能是由前扣带皮层中催产素和皮质酮的平衡决定的。这项研究提出了一种治疗某些与异常共情相关的精神障碍的方法，如自闭症和抑郁症。

据介绍，同理心对个人的沟通和生存至关重要。疼痛传染中的共情是否表现出性别差异及其潜在机制尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: Sex Differences in Pain Contagion Determined by the Balance of Oxytocin and Corticosterone in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Rodents

Author: Xie, Zhiyuan, Yuan, Wenxi, Zhou, Lingbo, Xiao, Jie, Liao, Huabao, Hu, Jiang-Jian, Song, Xue-Jun

Issue&Volume: 2025-08-06

Abstract: Empathy is crucial for communication and survival for individuals. Whether empathy in pain contagion shows sex differences and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that pain contagion can occur in stranger female rats, but not in stranger males. Blocking oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) suppressed pain contagion in female strangers, while oxytocin administration induced pain contagion in male strangers. In vitro, corticosterone reduces neuronal activation by oxytocin. During male stranger interactions, higher corticosterone decreased oxytocin receptor-positive neuronal activity in the ACC, suppressing pain contagion. These findings highlight the role of oxytocin in pain contagion and suggest that sex differences in empathy may be determined by the balance of oxytocin and corticosterone in the ACC. This study suggests an approach for the treatment of certain mental disorders associated with abnormal empathy, such as autism and depression.

DOI: 10.1007/s12264-025-01473-6

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12264-025-01473-6