Role of the anterior insula in task-level control and focal attention

• Published in: Brain Structure and Function Vol. 214; no. 5-6; pp. 669 - 680
• Main Authors: Nelson, Steven M., Dosenbach, Nico U. F., Cohen, Alexander L., Wheeler, Mark E., Schlaggar, Bradley L., Petersen, Steven E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.06.2010; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Attention; Attention - physiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain mapping; Brain Mapping - methods; Brain research; Cell Biology; Cerebral Cortex - anatomy & histology; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive ability; Data processing; Executive Function - physiology; Functional anatomy; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Information processing; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Nerve Net - anatomy & histology; Nerve Net - physiology; Neural networks; Neural Pathways - anatomy & histology; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neuroimaging; Neurology; Neurosciences; Review; Structure-function relationships; Functional connectivity; fMRI; Insula; Control; fcMRI; Focal attention

In humans, the anterior insula (aI) has been the topic of considerable research and ascribed a vast number of functional properties by way of neuroimaging and lesion studies. Here, we argue that the aI, at least in part, plays a role in domain-general attentional control and highlight studies (Dosen...