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Aversive state processing in the posterior insular cortex
Daniel A Gehrlach1,2, Nate Dolensek1,3, Alexandra S Klein1,2
1Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.
Nature Neuroscience
|August 29, 2019
Summary
The posterior insula detects adversity and shifts behavior. Specific pathways from the insula regulate anxiety and feeding based on internal bodily states, offering insights into brain circuitry.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- The insular cortex is implicated in processing emotions and homeostatic signals.
- Understanding how the insular cortex detects internal states and drives behavioral adaptation remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the posterior insula in processing aversive stimuli and internal states.
- To elucidate the neural pathways through which the posterior insula modulates behavior.
Main Methods:
- Fiber photometry
- Optogenetics
- Awake two-photon calcium imaging
- Whole-brain viral tracing in mice
Main Results:
- The posterior insula processes aversive sensory stimuli and internal bodily states.
- A posterior insula to central amygdala pathway mediates anxiety-related behaviors.
- A separate posterior insula to nucleus accumbens pathway regulates feeding behavior.
Conclusions:
- The posterior insular cortex plays a critical role in adapting behavior to internal states and adversity.
- Specific insular pathways differentially regulate distinct motivated behaviors.
- This work provides a framework for understanding insula dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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