Scientists Identify Brain Cells Key to Empathy

Researchers have identified a mechanism in the prefrontal cortex involving corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons that modulate empathetic responses based on past emotional experiences. This discovery, highlighting how animals respond to others' emotions when they mirror their own past experiences, offers insights into empathy's evolutionary conservation and potential therapeutic targets for conditions like PTSD, autism, and schizophrenia.