Study reveals how the brain relies on feedback from the body to regulate fear response. When a mouse's body freezes in response to fear, its heart rate slows, and this leads to attenuated insular cortex activity.
Virtual reality is helping researchers uncover some of the secrets of anxiety. Using VR, study participants were able to distinguish between safe and dangerous environments in a game. However, brain scans of those with anxiety showed increased activity in the insula and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex while in a safe zone, indicating their brains were associating the safe environment with threat or danger.
Researchers uncover the role activity in the anterior insula plays in how political ideology influences race perception.
Cortical representations for the sounds and meanings of new words learned form within an hour or two following exposure.
Neuroimaging pinpoints areas of the brain that regulate efforts to deal with fatigue. The study reveals the neural mechanisms that contribute to feelings of fatigue.
Coercion to perform detrimental actions against others reduces empathy and guilt, a new study reports. The findings may explain why people are able to commit immoral acts that go against their ethical stance when coerced.
Using chemogenetic methods, researchers activated neurons in the anterior insular and increased prosocial behavior in rodent models of opioid addiction.
Three months of transcendental meditation reduced anxiety and resulted in marked changes in connectivity between the precuneus, left parietal lobe, and insula.
Study identified the neural correlates of fear during dreaming and reports similar areas are activated when experiencing fear during wakeful states.
Reduced gray matter volume in the insula and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may represent a genetically conferred predispositional risk factor for alcohol use disorder.
White matter tracts show increasing maturation with age from the back to the front of the brain. The maturations begin as a child reaches 9-12 years of age. The maturity correlates with a critical and formative period of development.
In mice, the insular cortex processes negative emotions and bodily discomfort. The findings shed light on emotional processing in animals and humans.
