Feelings About Thoughts, Time, and Me

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. (Bud) Craig
Keyword(s):  
Functional Role ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Anterior Insular Cortex ◽  
Subjective Awareness ◽  
The Brain

This chapter describes evidence that the anterior insular cortex (AIC) is activated during thoughts, and explains how cognitive feelings are generated in the model of interoceptive and homeostatic integration. Presenting evidence that the AIC engenders subjective awareness and feelings about time, the chapter also shows how a cinemascopic structure in the model of interoceptive feelings can produce awareness across time, as well as musical feelings and subjectivity. It argues that the key functional role of the AIC in humans is the control of network activity in the brain, then relates this concept to studies that suggest a major role of the AIC in fluid intelligence and in behavioral guidance based on energy utilization.

scholarly journals Role of the anterior insular cortex in integrative causal signaling during multisensory auditory-visual attention

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianwen Chen ◽  
Lars Michels ◽  
Kaustubh Supekar ◽  
John Kochalka ◽  
Srikanth Ryali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Anterior Insular Cortex

scholarly journals The potential role for sphingolipids in neuropathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.V. Alessenko
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Sphingosine 1 Phosphate ◽  
The Brain

The review discusses the functional role of sphingolipids in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Certain evidence exist that the imbalance of sphingolipids such as sphingomyelin, ceramide, sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate and galactosylceramide in the brain of animals and humans, in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma of patients with Alzheimer's disease play a crucial role in neuronal function by regulating growth, differentiation and cell death in CNS. Activation of sphingomyelinase, which leads to the accumulation of the proapoptotic agent, ceramide, can be considered as a new mechanism for AD and may be a prerequisite for the treatment of this disease by using drugs that inhibit sphingomyelinase activity. The role of sphingolipids as biomarkers for the diagnosis of the early stage of Alzheimer's disease and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment with new drugs is discussed.

scholarly journals Primate anterior insular cortex represents economic decision variables postulated by Prospect theory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Ping Yang ◽  
Xinjian Li ◽  
Veit Stuphorn
Keyword(s):  
Prospect Theory ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Risk Attitude ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Anterior Insular Cortex ◽  
Decision Variables ◽  
Gain Loss

AbstractIn humans, risk attitude is highly context-dependent, varying with wealth levels or for different potential outcomes, such as gains or losses. These behavioral effects are well described by Prospect Theory, with the key assumption that humans represent the value of each available option asymmetrically as gain or loss relative to a reference point. However, it remains unknown how these computations are implemented at the neuronal level. Using a new token gambling task, we found that macaques, like humans, change their risk attitude across wealth levels and gain/loss contexts. Neurons in their anterior insular cortex (AIC) encode the ‘reference point’ (i.e. the current wealth level of the monkey) and the ‘asymmetric value function’ (i.e. option value signals are more sensitive to change in the loss than in the gain context) as postulated by Prospect Theory. In addition, changes in the activity of a subgroup of AIC neurons are correlated with the inter-trial fluctuations in choice and risk attitude. Taken together, we find that the role of primate AIC in risky decision-making is to monitor contextual information used to guide the animal’s willingness to accept risk.

scholarly journals Avoidance response to CO2 in the lateral horn

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nélia Varela ◽  
Miguel Gaspar ◽  
Sophie Dias ◽  
Maria Luísa Vasconcelos
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Imaging ◽  
Mushroom Body ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Lateral Horn ◽  
The One ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACTIn flies, the olfactory information is carried from the first relay in the brain, the antennal lobe, to the mushroom body (MB) and the lateral horn (LH). Olfactory associations are formed in the MB. The LH was ascribed a role in innate responses based on the stereotyped connectivity with the antennal lobe, stereotyped physiological responses to odors and MB silencing experiments. Direct evidence for the functional role of the LH is still missing. Here we investigate the behavioral role of the LH neurons directly, using the CO2 response as a paradigm. Our results show the involvement of the LH in innate responses. Specifically, we demonstrate that activity in two sets of neurons is required for the full behavioral response to CO2. Using calcium imaging we observe that the two sets of neurons respond to CO2 in different manners. Using independent manipulation and recording of the two sets of neurons we find that the one that projects to the SIP also outputs to the local neurons within the LH. The design of simultaneous output at the LH and the SIP, an output of the MB, allows for coordination between innate and learned responses.

scholarly journals Neuronal circuits overcome imbalance in excitation and inhibition by adjusting connection numbers

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (12) ◽  
pp. e2018459118
Author(s):  
Nirit Sukenik ◽  
Oleg Vinogradov ◽  
Eyal Weinreb ◽  
Menahem Segal ◽  
Anna Levina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Neuronal Circuitry ◽  
Inhibitory Cell ◽  
Single Cell Activity ◽  
Hippocampal Cultures ◽  
Cell Fractions ◽  
The Brain

The interplay between excitation and inhibition is crucial for neuronal circuitry in the brain. Inhibitory cell fractions in the neocortex and hippocampus are typically maintained at 15 to 30%, which is assumed to be important for stable dynamics. We have studied systematically the role of precisely controlled excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) cellular ratios on network activity using mice hippocampal cultures. Surprisingly, networks with varying E/I ratios maintain stable bursting dynamics. Interburst intervals remain constant for most ratios, except in the extremes of 0 to 10% and 90 to 100% inhibitory cells. Single-cell recordings and modeling suggest that networks adapt to chronic alterations of E/I compositions by balancing E/I connectivity. Gradual blockade of inhibition substantiates the agreement between the model and experiment and defines its limits. Combining measurements of population and single-cell activity with theoretical modeling, we provide a clearer picture of how E/I balance is preserved and where it fails in living neuronal networks.

scholarly journals Microglial SIRPα regulates the emergence of CD11c+ microglia and demyelination damage in white matter

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miho Sato-Hashimoto ◽  
Tomomi Nozu ◽  
Riho Toriba ◽  
Ayano Horikoshi ◽  
Miho Akaike ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Genetic Ablation ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Repair Phase

AbstractA characteristic subset of microglia expressing CD11c appears in response to brain damage. However, the functional role of CD11c+ microglia, as well as the mechanism of its induction, are poorly understood. Here we report that the genetic ablation of signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα), a membrane protein, induced CD11c+ microglia in the brain white matter. Mice lacking CD47, a physiological ligand of SIRPα, and microglia-specific SIRPα knockout mice exhibited the same phenotype, suggesting the interaction between microglial SIRPα and CD47 on neighbouring cells suppressed the emergence of CD11c+ microglia. A lack of SIRPα did not cause detectable damage in the white matter, but resulted in the increased expression of genes characteristic of the repair phase after demyelination. In addition, cuprizone-induced demyelination was alleviated by the microglia-specific ablation of SIRPα. Thus, microglial SIRPα suppresses the induction of CD11c+ microglia that have the potential to accelerate the repair of damaged white matter.

How Do You Feel?

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. (Bud) Craig
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
William James ◽  
Scientific Discovery ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Energy Needs

This book brings together startling evidence from neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry to present revolutionary new insights into how our brains enable us to experience the range of sensations and mental states known as feelings. Drawing on own cutting-edge research, the author has identified an area deep inside the mammalian brain—the insular cortex—as the place where interoception, or the processing of bodily stimuli, generates feelings. The book shows how this crucial pathway for interoceptive awareness gives rise in humans to the feeling of being alive, vivid perceptual feelings, and a subjective image of the sentient self across time. The book explains how feelings represent activity patterns in our brains that signify emotions, intentions, and thoughts, and how integration of these patterns is driven by the unique energy needs of the hominid brain. It describes the essential role of feelings and the insular cortex in such diverse realms as music, fluid intelligence, and bivalent emotions, and relates these ideas to the philosophy of William James and even to feelings in dogs. The book is also a compelling insider's account of scientific discovery, one that takes readers behind the scenes as the astonishing answer to this neurological puzzle is pursued and pieced together from seemingly unrelated fields of scientific inquiry. This book will fundamentally alter the way that neuroscientists and psychologists categorize sensations and understand the origins and significance of human feelings.

Abstract 083: Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Subfornical Organ (SFO) in Fluid Balance and Metabolic Effects of Brain Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) Activation

Hypertension ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fusakazu Jo ◽  
Hiromi Jo ◽  
Aline M Hilzendeger ◽  
Martin D Cassell ◽  
D. T Rutkowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Water Intake ◽  
Fluid Balance ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Chemical Chaperone ◽  
Reduced Drinking ◽  
The Brain

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been identified as an important contributor to neurological diseases and implicated in mediating hypothalamic inflammation and the hypertensive effects of angiotensin II (AngII). We examined the role of ER stress in the metabolic and fluid balance effects of brain AngII in two mouse models: 1) sRA transgenic mice (expressing human renin in neurons and human angiotensinogen in glia and neurons), and 2) DOCA-salt treated C57BL/6J mice. Both DOCA-salt and sRA mice exhibit hyperactivity of the brain RAS, suppression of circulating RAS, hypertension, polydipsia, and an elevated resting metabolic rate (RMR). CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), a marker of chronic ER stress, was examined by immunocytochemistry in the brain of both models. CHOP immunoreactivity was evident in the SFO of sRA and DOCA-salt mice but was absent in control and CHOP-/- mice. We infused the ER stress-reducing chemical chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA, 5.28 ug/day, or aCSF vehicle) to assess if ER stress is mechanistically related to the hypertension, polydipsia, and elevated RMR observed in both models. In initial studies, ICV TUDCA significantly attenuated the polydipsia (aCSF 20.7±0.9 vs TUDCA 10.8±1.0 mL/day, n=6,2) and RMR (aCSF, 3.38±0.07 vs TUDCA 3.16±0.06 mL O2/100g/min, P<0.05 n=13,11) in the DOCA-salt model. ICV TUDCA had similar effects on the polydipsia in the sRA model (51±10% of aCSF control, P<0.05 n=3,4). In the DOCA-salt model, daily ICV injections of TUDCA (10 days, 5ug/ul) markedly reduced drinking, but polydipsia returned one day after the injections were terminated (n=14,12). Daily ICV injection of another ER stress reducer 4-phenylbutyrate (5ug/ul) also reduced drinking (P<0.05 n=5,4). To assess the functional role of CHOP, we measured RMR and water intake in CHOP-/- mice. Interestingly, CHOP-/- mice exhibited increased baseline RMR (CHOP-/- 0.161±0.010 vs C57 0.140±0.005 kcal/hr, P<0.05 n=10,9). The increase in water intake in response to DOCA-salt was blunted (32.7±0.5 vs 22.8±1.1 ml/day, P<0.05, n=4,5) in CHOP-/- mice. Together these data mechanistically implicate ER stress in the fluid and metabolic responses to increased brain RAS activity and suggest CHOP may play a functional role.

Role of AMPA Receptor Desensitization and the Side Effects of a DMSO Vehicle on Reticulospinal EPSPs and Locomotor Activity

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 3951-3960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliya A. Tsvyetlynska ◽  
Russell H. Hill ◽  
Sten Grillner
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptors ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Pattern Generation ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Receptor Desensitization ◽  
Neuronal Network Activity ◽  
The Brain

Activation of the vertebrate locomotor network is mediated by glutamatergic synaptic drive, normally initiated by the brain stem. Previous investigations have studied the role of glutamate receptors, especially NMDA receptors, in generating and regulating locomotor pattern generation. Few studies, however, have focused on the role of AMPA receptors in shaping network activity, especially with regard to their rapid desensitization. It is important to determine whether AMPA receptor desensitization plays a role in regulating neuronal network activity. We examined this question on both the network and synaptic levels in the lamprey ( Lampetra fluviatilis) spinal cord using a selective and potent inhibitor of AMPA receptor desensitization, cyclothiazide (CTZ). The solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is commonly used to dissolve this drug, as well as many others. Unexpectedly, the vehicle alone already at 0.02%, but not at 0.01%, caused significant increases in excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitudes and NMDA-induced locomotor frequency. The results indicate that DMSO may have a profound influence when used ≥0.02%, a concentration 10–50 times less than that most commonly used. Subsequently we applied CTZ concentrations ≤10 μM (DMSO ≤0.01%). CTZ (1.25–5 μM) caused an appreciable and significant increase in EPSPs mediated by non-NMDA receptors and in both AMPA- and NMDA-induced locomotor frequency, but no effects on EPSPs mediated by NMDA receptors. From the effects of CTZ it is apparent that AMPA receptor desensitization plays an important role in determining locomotor frequency and that this is likely a result of its limiting function on AMPA receptor–mediated EPSPs.

scholarly journals Corticotropin-releasing hormone signals adversity in both the placenta and the brain: regulation by glucocorticoids and allostatic overload

1999 ◽  
Vol 161 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Schulkin
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Preterm Labor ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Hormone Signals

Glucocorticoids regulate corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) gene expression in the placenta and the brain. In both the placenta and two extrahypothalamic sites in the brain (the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis), glucocorticoids elevate CRH gene expression. One functional role of the elevation of CRH by glucocorticoids may be to signal adversity. When CRH is over-expressed in the placenta, it may indicate that the pregnancy is in danger, and preterm labor may result. When CRH is over-expressed in the brains of animals, they may become more fearful. Both situations possibly reflect allostatic mechanisms and vulnerability to allostatic overload, a condition in which biological tissue may be compromised.

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