anterior insula (AI) tagged posts

a neural circuit taxonomy for depression and anxiety

A team led by neurologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has pinpointed the regions of the brain that may play a role maintaining consciousness. “For the first time, we have found a connection between the brainstem region involved in arousal and regions involved in awareness, 2 prerequisites for consciousness,” said Michael D. Fox, MD, PhD, Director of the Laboratory for Brain Network Imaging and Modulation and the Associate Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at BIDMC.

Arousal is likely regulated by the brainstem, responsible for the sleep/wake cycle and cardiac/ respiratory rates. Awareness has long been thought to reside in the cortex...

To understand human behaviors, it is crucial to understand the motives behind them. So far, there was no direct way to identify motives. Psychologist and neuroscientist Grit Hein, Ernst Fehr et al found that the way relevant brain regions communicate with each other is altered depending on the motives driving a specific behavioral choice. This interplay between brain regions allowed them to identify the underlying motives. These motives could not be uncovered by observing the person’s choices, or based on the brain regions that are activated during the decision-making.

Empathy-based altruism is primarily characterized by a positive connectivity from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to the anterior insula (AI), whereas reciprocity-based altruism additionally invokes strong positive conn...