Empathy in Rats: How Social Bonds and Brain Chemistry Influence Helping Behavior.

Empathy, often considered a uniquely human trait, has been observed in various animal species, including rodents. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers Jocelyn Breton of Northeastern University and Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal of Tel Aviv University delves into the factors influencing helping behaviors in rats.​

Social Bonds Enhance Helping Behavior:

In controlled experiments, rats were paired and allowed to form social bonds over several weeks. Subsequently, one rat was placed in a restrainer that could only be opened from the outside, while the other was free to move. Notably, more than half of the free rats learned to open the restrainer, freeing their cagemates. The likelihood of this helping behavior increased among rats that had engaged in more social interactions, such as grooming or resting together, prior to the test.

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Empathy:

To understand the neural basis of this behavior, the researchers examined brain regions associated with social reward and empathy, specifically the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the anterior insula (AI). Helper rats exhibited higher expression of oxytocin receptor mRNA in the NAc compared to non-helpers, suggesting that oxytocin signaling in this region may drive prosocial actions. Additionally, increased activity was observed in brain areas like the medial orbitofrontal cortex, prelimbic cortex, and lateral septum among helper rats, indicating a network of regions involved in processing social and emotional information.​

Ingroup Bias in Helping Behavior:

Further studies have shown that rats display an ingroup bias, preferring to help those of their own strain over unfamiliar ones. However, this bias can be altered through social experience. Rats housed with a different strain were more likely to help strangers of that strain, highlighting the role of social exposure in shaping empathetic responses .​

Implications for Understanding Empathy:

These findings suggest that empathy and helping behaviors in rats are influenced by both social relationships and specific neural mechanisms. The parallels between rodent and human social behaviors offer valuable insights into the biological underpinnings of empathy, potentially informing approaches to foster prosocial behavior in broader contexts.​

Source:https://www.the-scientist.com/some-rats-are-more-empathetic-than-others-neuroscientists-want-to-figure-out-why-72959

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.