Cytoarchitecture, probability maps and segregation of the human insula

The human insular cortex supports multifunctional integration including interoceptive, sensorimotor, cognitive and social-emotional processing. Different concepts of the underlying microstructure have been proposed over more than a century. However, a 3D map of the cytoarchitectonic segregation of the insula in standard reference space, that could be directly linked to neuroimaging experiments addressing different cognitive tasks, is not yet available. Here we analyzed the middle posterior and dorsal anterior insula with image analysis and a statistical mapping procedure to delineate cytoarchitectonic areas in ten human postmortem brains. 3D-probability maps of seven new areas with granular (Ig3, posterior), agranular (Ia1, posterior) and dysgranular (Id2-Id6, middle to dorsal anterior) cytoarchitecture have been calculated to represent the new areas in stereotaxic space. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on cytoarchitecture resulted in three distinct clusters in the superior posterior, inferior posterior and dorsal anterior insula, providing deeper insights into the structural organization of the insula. The maps are openly available to support future studies addressing relations between structure and function in the human insula.