How do you feel--now? The anterior insula and human awareness.


Author: Craig AD1

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Atkinson Research Laboratory, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA. bcraig@chw.edu
Conference/Journal: Nat Rev Neurosci.
Date published: 2009 Jan
Other:
 Volume ID: 10   ,  Issue ID: 1   ,  Pages: 59-70   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1038/nrn2555.   ,  Word Count: 85  
    The anterior insular cortex (AIC) is implicated in a wide range of conditions and behaviours, from bowel distension and orgasm, to cigarette craving and maternal love, to decision making and sudden insight. Its function in the re-representation of interoception offers one possible basis for its involvement in all subjective feelings. New findings suggest a fundamental role for the AIC (and the von Economo neurons it contains) in awareness, and thus it needs to be considered as a potential neural correlate of consciousness.



PMID: 19096369  DOI: 10.1038/nrn2555