A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: an anatomical study in the macaque monkey

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroanatomy

Background:

• The insula is traditionally viewed as the brain's interoceptive cortex, primarily involved in sensing internal bodily states and emotions.
• Recent non-human primate studies suggest the insula's role extends to generating emotional facial expressions, particularly affiliative ones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the cortical connections of the mid-ventral insular region responsible for generating emotional facial expressions.
• To elucidate the neural network underlying the generation of affiliative facial expressions.

Main Methods:

• Electrical stimulation of the mid-ventral insula in non-human primates to identify the

Main Results:

• The

Conclusions:

• The insula's role in emotional expression is supported by its connections to motor, emotional, sensory, and social processing areas.
• This challenges the view of the insula as solely a sensory processing area, supporting its role in the active generation of social and emotional behaviors.