The insulo-opercular cortex encodes food-specific content under controlled and naturalistic conditions

AbstractThe insulo-opercular network functions critically not only in encoding taste, but also in guiding behavior based on anticipated food availability. However, there remains no direct measurement of insulo-opercular activity when humans anticipate taste. Here, we collect direct, intracranial recordings during a food task that elicits anticipatory and consummatory taste responses, and during ad libitum consumption of meals. While cue-specific high-frequency broadband (70–170 Hz) activity predominant in the left posterior insula is selective for taste-neutral cues, sparse cue-specific regions in the anterior insula are selective for palatable cues. Latency analysis reveals this insular activity is preceded by non-discriminatory activity in the frontal operculum. During ad libitum meal consumption, time-locked high-frequency broadband activity at the time of food intake discriminates food types and is associated with cue-specific activity during the task. These findings reveal spatiotemporally-specific activity in the human insulo-opercular cortex that underlies anticipatory evaluation of food across both controlled and naturalistic settings.

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Nicotine dependence and functional connectivity of insular cortex subregions

10.1101/2021.07.07.451360 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dara G Ghahremani ◽

Jean-Baptiste Pochon ◽

Maylen Perez Diaz ◽

Rachel F. Tyndale ◽

Andy C. Dean ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Resting State ◽

Region Of Interest ◽

Insular Cortex ◽

Anterior Insula ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Posterior Insula ◽

Post Hoc

The insular cortex has been identified as a promising target in brain-based therapies for Tobacco Use Disorder, and has three major sub-regions (ventral anterior, dorsal anterior, and posterior) that serve distinct functional networks. How these subregions and associated networks contribute to nicotine dependence has not been well understood, and therefore was the subject of this study. Forty-seven individuals (24 women; 18-45 years old) who smoked cigarettes daily rated their dependence using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), abstained from smoking overnight (~12 h), and underwent resting-state functional MRI. Correlations between dependence and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the major insular sub-regions were evaluated using whole-brain-corrected voxel-wise analyses and post-hoc region-of-interest (ROI) analyses. Dependence was analyzed both as a unitary (FTND total score) and bivariate construct - two FTND factors ("morning smoking" and "daytime smoking"). Dependence was negatively correlated with connectivity of both the right dorsal and left ventral anterior insula with the left precuneus, and with connectivity of the left posterior insula to the left putamen. In post-hoc analyses, dependence correlated negatively with connectivity between all anterior insula subregions and the left precuneus, and with bilateral posterior insula connectivity with the left posterior putamen. The latter finding was driven by "daytime smoking". These results suggest an anterior-posterior distinction in functional insular networks associated with different dimensions of nicotine dependence, with greater dependence linked to weaker connectivity. They may inform therapeutic approaches involving brain stimulation that may elicit differential clinical outcomes depending on the insular subnetwork targeted.

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Deep Brain Stimulation of the Posterior Insula in Chronic Pain: A Theoretical Framework

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11050639 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 639

Author(s):

David Bergeron ◽

Sami Obaid ◽

Marie-Pierre Fournier-Gosselin ◽

Alain Bouthillier ◽

Dang Khoa Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Electrical Stimulation ◽

Deep Brain Stimulation ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

High Frequency ◽

Brain Lesion ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Posterior Insula ◽

Deep Brain ◽

Stimulation Of

Introduction: To date, clinical trials of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for refractory chronic pain have yielded unsatisfying results. Recent evidence suggests that the posterior insula may represent a promising DBS target for this indication. Methods: We present a narrative review highlighting the theoretical basis of posterior insula DBS in patients with chronic pain. Results: Neuroanatomical studies identified the posterior insula as an important cortical relay center for pain and interoception. Intracranial neuronal recordings showed that the earliest response to painful laser stimulation occurs in the posterior insula. The posterior insula is one of the only regions in the brain whose low-frequency electrical stimulation can elicit painful sensations. Most chronic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia, had abnormal functional connectivity of the posterior insula on functional imaging. Finally, preliminary results indicated that high-frequency electrical stimulation of the posterior insula can acutely increase pain thresholds. Conclusion: In light of the converging evidence from neuroanatomical, brain lesion, neuroimaging, and intracranial recording and stimulation as well as non-invasive stimulation studies, it appears that the insula is a critical hub for central integration and processing of painful stimuli, whose high-frequency electrical stimulation has the potential to relieve patients from the sensory and affective burden of chronic pain.

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Impaired emotional processing in a patient with a left posterior insula-SII lesion

Neurocase ◽

10.1080/13554794.2012.713491 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 592-603 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Céline Borg ◽

Nathalie Bedoin ◽

Roland Peyron ◽

Soline Bogey ◽

Bernard Laurent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotional Processing ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Posterior Insula

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Effects of zinc deficiency on morphogenesis of the fetal rat eye

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.99.2.231 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 99 (2) ◽

pp. 231-238

Author(s):

J.M. Rogers ◽

L.S. Hurley

Keyword(s):

Zinc Deficiency ◽

High Frequency ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Zinc Level ◽

Ocular Tissue ◽

Fetal Rat ◽

Optic Cup ◽

Zinc Concentrations ◽

Ad Libitum

Maternal zinc deficiency during pregnancy results in a high frequency of fetal eye malformations in the Long-Evans rat. In this study we examine the development of the eye from days 12 through 21 of gestation in conceptuses of dams fed deficient or adequate levels of zinc and also examine maternal plasma and conceptus zinc concentrations during this period. Dams were fed diets containing 0.5 (0.5 Zn group), 4.5 (4.5 Zn group), or 100 (100 Zn AL group) micrograms zinc per gram diet ad libitum, or 100 micrograms zinc g-1 diet in amounts restricted on a daily basis to the intake of matched animals from the 0.5 Zn group (100 Zn RI group). Conceptuses were removed and maternal plasma was collected on days 12, 14, 16, 19 and 21 of gestation. Maternal plasma and conceptus zinc concentrations reflected maternal dietary zinc level, with dam plasma Zn concentrations in the order of 0.5 Zn group less than 4.5 Zn group less than 100 Zn group on all days. A similar pattern held for embryo/fetus zinc, except for days 19 and 21, at which times the 0.5 Zn and 4.5 Zn fetuses had similar zinc concentrations. Histological examination of the developing eye of 0.5 Zn fetuses on days 12 and 14 revealed that invagination of the optic cup was often deficient, and that closure of the choroid fissure did not occur, resulting in colobomata and retinal folding visible at term. A very few fetuses were found at term to be anophthalmic or have only remnants of ocular tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Human Cortical Responses to Water in the Mouth, and the Effects of Thirst

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00297.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 90 (3) ◽

pp. 1865-1876 ◽

Cited By ~ 227

Author(s):

Ivan E.T. de Araujo ◽

Morten L. Kringelbach ◽

Edmund T. Rolls ◽

Francis McGlone

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽

Oral Delivery ◽

Physiological State ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Insula ◽

The Body ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Frontal Operculum ◽

Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex

In an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in humans it was shown, first, that water produces activations in cortical taste areas (in particular the frontal operculum/anterior insula which is the primate primary taste cortex, and the caudal orbitofrontal/secondary taste cortex) comparable to those produced by the prototypical tastants salt and glucose. Second, the activations in the frontal operculum/anterior insula produced by water when thirsty were still as large after the subjects had consumed water to satiety. Third, in contrast, the responses to water in the caudal orbitofrontal cortex were modulated by the physiological state of the body, in that responses to the oral delivery of water in this region were not found after the subjects had drunk water to satiety. Fourth, further evidence that the reward value or pleasantness of water is represented in the orbitofrontal cortex was that a positive correlation with the subjective ratings of the pleasantness of the water was found with activations in the caudal and anterior orbitofrontal cortex, and also in the anterior cingulate cortex. Fifth, it was found that a region of the middle part of the insula was also activated by water in the mouth, and further, that this activation only occurred when thirsty. Sixth, analyses comparing pre- and postsatiety periods (i.e., when thirsty and when not thirsty) independently of stimulus delivery revealed higher activity levels in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex. The activity of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex thus appears to reflect the thirst level or motivational state of the subjects.

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High frequency oscillations in intracranial recordings of epileptic patients

2011 International Conference on Multimedia, Signal Processing and Communication Technologies ◽

10.1109/mspct.2011.6150454 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Yusuf Uzzaman Khan ◽

Jean Gotman

Keyword(s):

High Frequency ◽

High Frequency Oscillations ◽

Epileptic Patients ◽

Intracranial Recordings

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Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Left-Right Confusion from a Left Posterior Peri-Insular Infarct

Behavioural Neurology ◽

10.1155/2014/823591 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

S. Bhattacharyya ◽

X. Cai ◽

J. P. Klein

Keyword(s):

Parietal Lobe ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Functional Networks ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Acute Infarct ◽

Posterior Insula ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Insular Region

The Gerstmann syndrome of dyscalculia, dysgraphia, left-right confusion, and finger agnosia is generally attributed to lesions near the angular gyrus of the dominant hemisphere. A 68-year-old right-handed woman presented with sudden difficulty completing a Sudoku grid and was found to have dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and left-right confusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focus of abnormal reduced diffusivity in the left posterior insula and temporoparietal operculum consistent with acute infarct. Gerstmann syndrome from an insular or peri-insular lesion has not been described in the literature previously. Pathological and functional imaging studies show connections between left posterior insular region and inferior parietal lobe. We postulate that the insula and operculum lesion disrupted key functional networks resulting in a pseudoparietal presentation.

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Weighted RSA: an improved framework on the perception of audio-visual affective speech in left insula and superior temporal gyrus

10.1101/2020.08.31.276485 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Junhai Xu ◽

Haibin Dong ◽

Fei Guo ◽

Zeyu Wang ◽

Jianguo Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Visual Modality ◽

Speech Stimuli ◽

Multimodal Interactions ◽

Fmri Study ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Dynamic Facial Expressions ◽

Posterior Insula ◽

Conjunction Analysis ◽

Left Insula

AbstractBeing able to accurately perceive the emotion expressed by the facial or verbal expression from others is critical to successful social interaction. However, only few studies examined the multimodal interactions on speech emotion, and there is no consistence in studies on the speech emotion perception. It remains unclear, how the speech emotion of different valence is perceived on the multimodal stimuli by our human brain. In this paper, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with an event-related design, using dynamic facial expressions and emotional speech stimuli to express different emotions, in order to explore the perception mechanism of speech emotion in audio-visual modality. The representational similarity analysis (RSA), whole-brain searchlight analysis, and conjunction analysis of emotion were used to interpret the representation of speech emotion in different aspects. Significantly, a weighted RSA approach was creatively proposed to evaluate the contribution of each candidate model to the best fitted model. The results of weighted RSA indicated that the fitted models were superior to all candidate models and the weights could be used to explain the representation of ROIs. The bilateral amygdala has been shown to be associated with the processing of both positive and negative emotions except neutral emotion. It is indicated that the left posterior insula and the left anterior superior temporal gyrus (STG) play important roles in the perception of multimodal speech emotion.

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Stimulation in the Rat Anterior Insula and Anterior Cingulate During an Effortful Weightlifting Task

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.643384 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Silva ◽

Blake S. Porter ◽

Kristin L. Hillman

Keyword(s):

High Frequency ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Insular Cortex ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Insula ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

High Frequency Stimulation ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Frequency Stimulation ◽

Stimulation Of

When performing tasks, animals must continually assess how much effort is being expended, and gage this against ever-changing physiological states. As effort costs mount, persisting in the task may be unwise. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the anterior insular cortex are implicated in this process of cost-benefit decision-making, yet their precise contributions toward driving effortful persistence are not well understood. Here we investigated whether electrical stimulation of the ACC or insular cortex would alter effortful persistence in a novel weightlifting task (WLT). In the WLT an animal is challenged to pull a rope 30 cm to trigger food reward dispensing. To make the action increasingly effortful, 45 g of weight is progressively added to the rope after every 10 successful pulls. The animal can quit the task at any point – with the rope weight at the time of quitting taken as the “break weight.” Ten male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with stimulating electrodes in either the ACC [cingulate cortex area 1 (Cg1) in rodent] or anterior insula and then assessed in the WLT during stimulation. Low-frequency (10 Hz), high-frequency (130 Hz), and sham stimulations were performed. We predicted that low-frequency stimulation (LFS) of Cg1 in particular would increase persistence in the WLT. Contrary to our predictions, LFS of Cg1 resulted in shorter session duration, lower break weights, and fewer attempts on the break weight. High-frequency stimulation of Cg1 led to an increase in time spent off-task. LFS of the anterior insula was associated with a marginal increase in attempts on the break weight. Taken together our data suggest that stimulation of the rodent Cg1 during an effortful task alters certain aspects of effortful behavior, while insula stimulation has little effect.

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