11 Facts About Insula cortex

Insular cortex is a portion of the cerebral cortex folded deep within the lateral sulcus within each hemisphere of the mammalian brain.

Insular cortex is divided into two parts: the anterior insula and the posterior insula in which more than a dozen field areas have been identified.

Posterior insula connects reciprocally with the secondary somatosensory cortex and receives input from spinothalamically activated ventral posterior inferior thalamic nuclei.

Insular cortex has regions of variable cell structure or cytoarchitecture, changing from granular in the posterior portion to agranular in the anterior portion.

The anterior insular cortex contains a population of spindle neurons, identified as characterising a distinctive subregion as the agranular frontal insula.

Insular cortex is considered a separate lobe of the telencephalon by some authorities.

The spindle neurons found at a higher density in the right frontal insular cortex are found in the anterior cingulate cortex, which is another region that has reached a high level of specialization in great apes.

Insular cortex is where the sensation of pain is judged as to its degree.

Insula cortex has been identified as playing a role in the experience of bodily self-awareness, sense of agency, and sense of body ownership.

Insular cortex has been suggested to have a role in anxiety disorders, emotion dysregulation, and anorexia nervosa.

Insula cortex was first described by Johann Christian Reil while describing cranial and spinal nerves and plexuses.