Meeting Abstract

P2.61  Friday, Jan. 4  Contiguity of Insular Cortex with Major Sensory and Motor Regions JOHNSON, J/I*; MORRIS, J/A; FOBBS, A/J; Michigan State University; Michigan State University; National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology johnij@aol.com

The insular or claustrocortex is a region of mammalian brains with special relations to visceral structures. It is closely approximated to the origin of pathways in the basal ganglia related to behavioral motivation, rewards, punishments, and addictions. It receives direct projections from all major sensory pathways, and is the site of interactions among multiple sensory modalities. In addition to these direct projections and interactions among them, we have found there is a close physical proximity between the insular projections from a given modality and other regions of cortex receiving projections from this same modality. Insular regions with motor functions also have a continuity with other motor cortical regions. These properties shape the insular cortex into a kind of hub, from which other sensory and motor regions radiate outward when seen outlined on the surface of a brain which has been unfolded and flattened into a two-dimensional representation. This central position of insular cortex in the radiation of sensory and motor areas related to both visceral and somatic bodily components is consistent with current trends in thinking about the role of insula in the conceptualization of a bodily self image, and governance of behavior in accord with this self image. The maintenance of the contiguities throughout evolutionary processes of brain expansion, wherein new and different areas are added in the organization of advanced brain complexity, suggests constant factors which govern the spatial arrangement of functional brain regions in mammals. Supported by NSF grants IBN0131267, 0131826, and 0131028.