Understanding and coping with others' emotions requires well-functioning cognitive, affective, and social processes supported by complex brain systems. Some of these mental processes may exhibit different change patterns during older adulthood. Unlike cognitive functioning, emotional abilities remain stable and sometimes improve as people age. One aspect that has received less attention is how age influences the dynamics of emotion regulation and recovery processes after exposure to (negative) socio-affective events (e.g., others' suffering) and what brain mechanisms are involved. Also, very little is known concerning how these processes vary according to different aging profiles and whether they are affected by risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The work presented in this thesis comprises three neuroimaging studies that attempt to fill this gap.