Empathy is a multidimensional construct including affective and cognitive components while maintaining the distinction between one-self and others. Our meta-analyses focused on shared and distinct networks underlying cognitive (taking somebody else's perspective in emotional/painful situations) and affective (self-referentially feeling somebody else's emotions/pain) empathy for various states including painful and emotional situations. Furthermore, a comparison with direct pain experience was carried out.

For cognitive empathy, consistent activation in the anterior dorsal medial frontal gyrus (dmPFG) and the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) occurred. For affective empathy, convergent activation of the posterior dmPFG and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was found. Consistent activation of the anterior insula (AI), the anterior dmPFG and the SMG was observed for empathy for pain, while convergent recruitment of the temporo-parietal junction, precuneus, posterior dmPFG, and the IFG was revealed in the meta-analysis across empathy for emotion experiments. The AI and the dmPFG/mid-cingulate cortex (MCC) showed overlapping as well as distinct neural activation for pain processing and empathy for pain.

Taken together, we were able to show difference in the meta-analytic networks across cognitive and affective empathy as well as for pain and empathy processing. Based on the current results, distinct functions along the midline structures of the brain during empathy processing are apparent. Our data are lending further support for a multidimensional concept of empathy.

同理心是一种多维结构，包括情感和认知成分，同时保持自我和他人之间的区别。我们的荟萃分析侧重于对各种状态（包括痛苦和情绪情况）的认知（在情绪/痛苦情况下采取别人的观点）和情感（自我指涉地感受别人的情绪/痛苦）同理心的共享和独特网络。此外，还与直接疼痛体验进行了比较。

对于认知共情，背侧内侧额回（dmPFG）和边缘上回（SMG）发生一致激活。对于情感共情，发现后 dmPFG 和额下回 (IFG) 会聚激活。在对疼痛的同理心中观察到前岛叶 (AI)、前 dmPFG 和 SMG 的一致激活，而跨同理心的荟萃分析显示了颞顶叶交界处、楔前叶、后 dmPFG 和 IFG 的汇聚募集用于情感实验。 AI 和 dmPFG/中扣带皮层 (MCC) 在疼痛处理和对疼痛的同理心方面表现出重叠和独特的神经激活。

综上所述，我们能够显示元分析网络在认知和情感同理心以及疼痛和同理心处理方面的差异。根据目前的结果，在共情处理过程中，大脑中线结构的不同功能是显而易见的。我们的数据进一步支持多维同理心概念。