How does the brain rapidly integrate information coming our different senses with stored information, and their saliences, so as to make decisions and respond (or not)? In this episode I talk with UCLA Professor Lucina Uddin who investigates the relationships between connectivity of different brain regions and cognition with an emphasis on brain development and disorders thereof. In this episode I talk with Lucina about the insular cortex and evidence that it functions as a gatekeeper to neural networks distributed throughout the cerebral cortex including those in: the frontal and parietal cortexes that are known to mediate higher order executive functions and goal-directed behaviors; the default mode network (involved in 'mind-wandering' and self-reflection); and the salience network which includes connections with the anterior cingulate cortex and subcortical circuits involved in emotional processing. Professor Uddin has summarized the overall functions of the insular cortex as follows "The microanatomy and large-scale connectivity of the insular cortex positions it to play a critical role in triaging and integrating internal and external multisensory stimuli in the service of initiating higher-order control functions. Multiple lines of evidence scaffold the novel hypothesis that, as a key hub for integration and a lever of network switching, the anterior insula serves as a critical gatekeeper to executive control."

LINKS

The Uddin Laboratory: https://teams.semel.ucla.edu/bccl

Review article on the insular cortex: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422002251?via%3Dihub

Additional relevant articles:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8491685/pdf/bhab156.pdf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7785575/pdf/nihms-1610276.pdf