Feelings of warmth correlate with neural activity in right anterior insular cortex

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 389; no. 1; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Olausson, H., Charron, J., Marchand, S., Villemure, C., Strigo, I.A., Bushnell, M.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 25.11.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: activation; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - physiology; cold; cutaneous heat; Discrimination (Psychology); fmri; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hot Temperature; Human; human brain; Humans; illusion; Leg - innervation; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neurosciences; Neurovetenskaper; pain perception; Perception; Physical Stimulation; Prosencephalon - physiology; representation; Skin; Somesthesis and somesthetic pathways (proprioception, exteroception, nociception); interoception; electrolocation. Sensory receptors; stimuli; tactile; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Warmth; Human; Warmth; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Perception; Skin; Temperature; Central nervous system; Environmental factor; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Encephalon; Heat; Insular cortex; Functional imaging
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.06.065

The neural coding of perception can differ from that for the physical attributes of a stimulus. Recent studies suggest that activity in right anterior insular cortex may underlie thermal perception, particularly that of cold. We now examine whether this region is also important for the perception of warmth. We applied cutaneous warm stimuli on the left leg (warmth) in normal subjects ( n = 7) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). After each stimulus, subjects rated their subjective intensity of the stimulus using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and correlations were determined between the fMRI signal and the VAS ratings. We found that intensity ratings of warmth correlated with the fMRI signal in the right (contralateral to stimulation) anterior insular cortex. These results, in conjunction with previous reports, suggest that the right anterior insular cortex is important for different types of thermal perception.