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Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Brain Areas Related to Empathy Influenced by Sensory Processing Sensitivity

Poster Session C - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 5:00 – 7:00 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Amanda M. McQuarrie¹, Lorna S. Jakobson¹, Stephen D. Smith^1,2; ¹University of Manitoba, ²University of Winnipeg

Individuals with sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) report heightened sensitivity to the environment and emotional reactivity, as well as stronger empathy. The neural correlates of this common personality trait are still not well-known. We investigated the relationships between specific facets of SPS and both empathy and functional connectivity (FC) in the resting brain. Forty participants (22 women, Mage = 21.10 years +/- 4.09 years) completed self-report measures of SPS and empathy, and a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. The analyses specifically examined correlations between both positive features of SPS (sensitivity to aesthetic qualities and subtle stimuli) and negative features of SPS (overstimulation and sensitivity to negative stimuli) and FC between neural regions involved in empathy. Positive SPS traits were associated with increased FC between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and clusters in the left superior parietal lobule, lateral occipital cortex (LOC), and right intracalcarine cortex. Negative SPS traits were positively correlated with FC between left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the right frontal pole; right insula and primary somatosensory cortex; mPFC and left LOC; and precuneus and left frontal pole. They were also negatively associated with FC between left IFG and LOC; left insula and brainstem; and between precuneus and the left occipital pole and the right cerebellum. We propose that these results reflect deeper visual and emotional processing, which enhances empathic abilities. Additionally, reduced FC may be a protective mechanism against the experience of empathic distress commonly found in those expressing high levels of negative SPS traits.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotional responding