A Personal and Scientific Introduction to the Work of A.D. (Bud) Craig on Interoception and the Insular Cortex

A.D. (Bud) Craig was best known to us colloquially as Bud Craig; his groundbreaking work has advanced our understanding of the neuroanatomical basis of the bodily self, emotion, and subjective time. His research elucidated the intricate pathways of interoception - the brain's processing of internal body signals - and highlighted the insula's pivotal role in integrating these signals. Craig's pioneering insights demonstrated that bodily sensations, such as pain and temperature, are deeply intertwined with emotional experiences and homeostatic needs. By mapping the thalamocortical pathways and emphasizing the insula's function in predicting future bodily states, he provided a comprehensive framework that connects physiological states to emotional and temporal experiences. This fundamental work has profoundly influenced a new generation of scientists and inspired the current volume. In this book, we have invited researchers influenced by Craig's theories to explore the neural correlates of emotion, pain, interoception, and time. In this chapter, we present how the editors of this book were directly influenced by Craig's findings and lay the groundwork for the large collective contribution of the authors of the subsequent chapters that continue to explore this ever-evolving scientific landscape.