Decoding the Role of the Insula in Human Cognition: Functional Parcellation and Large-Scale Reverse Inference

Abstract

Recent work has indicated that the insula may be involved in goal-directed cognition, switching between networks, and the conscious awareness of affect and somatosensation. However, these findings have been limited by the insula's remarkably high base rate of activation and considerable functional heterogeneity. The present study used a relatively unbiased data-driven approach combining resting-state connectivity-based parcellation of the insula with large-scale meta-analysis to understand how the insula is anatomically organized based on functional connectivity patterns as well as the consistency and specificity of the associated cognitive functions. Our findings support a tripartite subdivision of the insula and reveal that the patterns of functional connectivity in the resting-state analysis appear to be relatively conserved across tasks in the meta-analytic coactivation analysis. The function of the networks was meta-analytically "decoded" using the Neurosynth framework and revealed that while the dorsoanterior insula is more consistently involved in human cognition than ventroanterior and posterior networks, each parcellated network is specifically associated with a distinct function. Collectively, this work suggests that the insula is instrumental in integrating disparate functional systems involved in processing affect, sensory-motor processing, and general cognition and is well suited to provide an interface between feelings, cognition, and action.

Empathic control through coordinated interaction of amygdala, theory of mind and extended pain matrix brain regions

“…It seems likely that the portion of the anterior insula activated by 24 these previous studies represents the pain matrix sub-region of the insula, whereas the 25 insula region activated in the current study represents a well-characterized and distinct 26 sub-region within the insula slightly dorsal and anterior to the pain matrix sub-region, 27 known to be sensitive to deliberation and cognitive control (Chang et al, 2012). 28…”

“…Unlike Study 1, the (EP obj > 25 EP emp ) contrast also yielded increased activity in other regions associated with cognitive 26 control: anterior insula bilaterally (Chang et al, 2012), and dorsal cingulate cortex ( Table 27 2). The PPI analysis confirmed the hypotheses derived from exploratory analyses of 13 Study 1.…”

Abnormal functional global and local brain connectivity in female patients with anorexia nervosa

“…[30][31][32] Since the insula is a relatively large and heterogeneous brain region, task related fMRI and RSFC data have been used to identify distinct in sula subregions yielding a tripartite subdivision. 33,34 While the ventroanterior and dorsoanterior regions have been asso ciated with chemosensory, 35 socioemotional 36 and higher cog nitive processing, respectively, 37,38 the posterior insula region has been associated with pain and sensorimotor process ing. 39,40 Of note, both insula nodes that showed group differ ences in our study can be grouped with the "posterior in sula" according to functional connectivity and meta analytic data.…”

Putting Ourselves in Another’s Skin: Using the Plasticity of Self-Perception to Enhance Empathy and Decrease Prejudice

“…The relationship between self-representation and the insula is more complex. Several recent meta-analyses of the insula (Chang, Yarkoni, Khaw, & Sanfey, 2013;Deen, Pitskel, & Pelphrey, 2011) have suggested evidence for a tripartite division between three areas: a posterior region (PI) which is thought to be a key hub for integrating booth internal and external signals relating to the body (Craig, 2009); a ventroanterior region (vAI) which is the region most strongly linked to the processing of emotional (Morita et al, 2013;Sanfey, Rilling, Aronson, Nystrom, & Cohen, 2003) and social information (Lindner et al, 2013;Xiang, Lohrenz, & Montague, 2013); and a dorsoanterior region (dAI) involved in higherlevel cognitive processing such as attention (Eckert et al, 2009). However, despite these functional differentiations, it is important to note that these areas show significant reciprocal connections between them with signals about the body processed in PI feeding into social-affective processing in vAI and into conscious awareness via attentional processing in the dAI (Craig, 2009;Simmons et al, 2013).…”