The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are subcortical brain regions that are an important component of the reward circuit in the brain. The nucleus accumbens plays a role in linking the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with the globus pallidus, allowing for reward seeking behaviors. Damage to these areas result in anhedonia, one of the core criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. However, there is little known about how these brain regions may play a role in empathic happiness. Pilot fMRI data was collected from 20 participants (Mage= 22, SD=7.0, 63% female) during the “Happy Faces Task.” The “Happy Faces Task” utilized human faces and asked participants to decipher whether there was any positive emotion present or not, in order to measure the degree of anhedonia. Linear regression related fMRI data during the paradigm to self-reported trait empathic happiness and empathic cheerfulness. BOLD activity in the DLPFC and NAcc shell during the “Happy Faces Task” predicted accurate performance on the Happy Faces task (R2 = 34%, p < 0.05) and greater trait empathic happiness (R2 = 38%, p < 0.05), respectively. Results suggest that frontal-subcortical areas may contribute to other-oriented positive affect constructs. Future work should examine the integrity of these regions in populations with anhedonia or empathy deficits.

1. Happy Faces Task
⇾ The “Happy Faces Task” is an investigational measure of the level of anhedonia in humans.
Participants were asked to look at human faces evoking neutral and varying degrees of positive
emotion. Participants were then asked to decide if there was a presence or absence of positive
emotion. When a person cannot detect low intensity happy faces it may suggest that he/she is
anhedonic.
⇾ Faces for these tasks were taken from the well validated Cohn-Kanade dataset, which is comprised of
many images of human faces expressing spontaneous neutral or positive emotion. Faces chosen
created a range of smiling intensity based on the Ekman’s FACS coding system.
⇾ Participants viewed ”high-intensity” positive faces, “low-intensity” positive faces, and neutral faces
in random order. High intensity versus low intensity relative to neutral faces were factored into the
analyses.
⇾ The percent correctly identified were used as regressors at the individual level of fMRI data analysis.
Trait Empathy Measures
⇾ The Light-Moran PES Empathic Happiness Subscale was used to measure trait empathic happiness.
Statistical Analyses
⇾ Brain data were regressed to predict PES trait empathic happiness scores and/or percent correctly
identified during the Happy Faces Task.
Nucleus Accumbens and Dorsolateral Prefrontal
Cortex Activity Predicts Positive Empathy Subtypes in
Healthy Adults
Grazia Mirabito, Zinat Taiwo, Matt Bezdek Ph.D, and Sharee N. Light Ph.D
Georgia State University
⇾ Anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure, is a key component
of Major Depressive Disorder and is related to reward
circuitry dysfunction.
⇾ The nucleus accumbens (NAcc), globus pallidus, and
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are important
components to the reward circuit in the brain. However,
little is known about how these brain regions may relate to
vicarious pleasure (i.e., Empathic Happiness)
⇾ The NAcc and DLPFC are of particular interest in relation to
empathic happiness because we hypothesized that one must
be able to feel positive affect for themselves to be able to feel
positive emotion for someone else.
⇾ A better understanding of empathic happiness may provide a
basis for new therapeutic approaches for treating anhedonia.
⇾ The purpose of this research study was to investigate the
neural correlates of empathic happiness, with specific focus
on the Nacc and DLPFC in relation to consummatory
anhedonia (the reduced ability to experience pleasure in
response to obtained rewards) utilizing an investigational
behavioral task.
⇾ We predicted that brain activity during the “Happy Faces
Task” would relate to Empathic Happiness.
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⇾ Regression analyses revealed that NAcc activity predicted empathic happiness, while DLFPC
predicted accuracy in percent correctly identified happy faces.
⇾ Our findings show that increased activity in the NAcc shell
during the processing of low intensity happy faces was
related to increased trait empathic happiness (fig 1).
w Greater NAcc shell engagement suggests that empathic
happiness relates to consummatory pleasure.
⇾ Also, increased activity in the DLPFC during the low-
intensity happy faces trials indicated increased low-intensity
happy faces correctly identified
w The more activity in the DLPFC, the more easily the
person is able to identify subtle positive stimuli.
⇾ The ”Happy Faces Task” can potentially help researchers
better assess positive affect deficits in a quick and simple
manner in the clinic.
⇾ This study provides preliminary evidence for the role of the
NAcc and DLPFC in the ability to feel empathic happiness.
⇾ Future work with clinical populations with anhedonia (e.g.
Major Depressive Disorder) will allow further understanding
of the function of reward circuitry in both anhedonia and
empathic happiness. Empathic Happiness interventions can
provide potential new ways to treat anhedonia.
⇾ fMRI data analysis was conducted using AFNI software.
⇾ The Nacc and DLPFC Region of Interest (ROI) was created
using a priori coordinates. Parameter estimates were
extracted and analyzed using SPSS.
Introduction
⇾ 20 adult participants (Mage= 22, SD=7.0, 63% female) who
were right-handed, had normal or corrected to
normal vision, were fluent in English, and were free
of neurological and psychiatric disorders were included.
Participants
fMRI Analysis
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Greater activity in the DLPFC during the low intensity happy face
trials related to greater percentage of happy faces identified
correctly (R2 = 34%, p < .05).
References
Greater activity in the NAcc shell during the low intensity happy
face trials related to a greater trait empathic happiness score
(R2 = 38%, p < .05).
Figure 1 Figure 2