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Social information processing following resection of the insular cortex
Olivier Boucher1, Isabelle Rouleau2, Maryse Lassonde1
1Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition, Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que., Canada; Centre de recherche du CHU Hôpital Sainte-Justine, Montréal, Que., Canada.
Neuropsychologia
|March 16, 2015
Summary
Insular cortex damage impairs emotion recognition and empathy, challenging previous theories about its specific role in disgust processing. This study provides clinical evidence for the insula’s broader function in social cognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Cognition
- Empathy Research
Background:
- The insula is theorized to be crucial for social cognition and empathy.
- Previous studies suggest insular damage may cause deficits in processing social information, including disgust recognition, but evidence is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate social cognition and empathy in patients following insular resection.
- To compare these abilities in insular patients, anterior temporal lobe lesion patients, and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Fifteen patients with insular resection, 15 with anterior temporal lobe resection (lesion control), and 20 healthy volunteers were assessed.
- Tests included an Emotion Recognition Task (ERT), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, and an empathy questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Insular resection patients showed deficits in recognizing facial emotions and lower perspective-taking scores.
- Emotion recognition deficits were more common in insular patients compared to both control groups.
- While fear recognition was impaired in both patient groups, happiness and surprise recognition deficits were specific to insular patients. No disgust recognition deficit was observed.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral insular damage is associated with subtle impairments in emotion recognition and empathy.
- Findings challenge the notion that the insula is exclusively involved in disgust processing, suggesting a broader role in social-emotional functions.
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