The consequences of stroke on mechanisms for emotions and empathy.

Stroke is a promising 'pathophysiological' model for the study of emotions in man. Local cerebral lesions affect not only those functions directly controlled by the infarcted and peri-infarcted areas, but also impair functions controlled by other intact regions, anatomically distant, but functionally connected with the infarcted areas. An isolated lesion may affect the more widespread neuronal circuitries involved in the analysis and processing of new emotional inputs. In this context, the mirror system, initially described for observation and imitation of pure motor activities in man, may be relevant in the production of post-stroke emotional changes.