The role of right supra-marginal gyrus and secondary somatosensory cortex in age-related differences in human emotional egocentricity

Emotional egocentric bias (EEB) occurs when, due to a partial failure in self-other distinction, empathy for another's emotion is influenced by our own emotional state. Recent studies have revealed a higher EEB in children, adolescents and older adults compared to young adults, but the neural correlates of this finding are largely unknown. We asked female participants (N = 95) from three different age groups (adolescents, young and older adults) to perform a well-validated EEB task in an MRI scanner. We assessed task-based changes in activity and effective connectivity as well as morphometric changes in regions of interest to pinpoint functional and structural age-related differences. Results revealed higher EEB in older compared to young adults and adolescents. Connectivity between right supramarginal gyrus (rSMG) and somatosensory cortices acted as a partial mediator between age and EEB. The findings suggest that an intact connectivity of rSMG, rather than its regional activity, with sensory-perceptual brain areas is crucial for overcoming egocentric biases of empathic judgments.