Anterior insula regulates brain network transitions that gate conscious access
Zirui Huang, Vijay Tarnal, Phillip E. Vlisides, Ellen Janke, Amy McKinney, Paul Picton, George A. Mashour, Anthony G. Hudetz
Cell Reports May 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109081 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Functional neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | propofol |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Sensory gating Sensory system Insular cortex Arousal Thalamus Association psychology Neuroimaging Task-positive network Forebrain Central nervous system |
| Citations | 119 |
| Key points | The anterior insular cortex regulates brain network transitions that gate conscious access to sensory information. |
Abstract
Conscious access to sensory information is likely gated at an intermediate site between primary sensory and transmodal association cortices, but the structure responsible remains unknown. We perform functional neuroimaging to determine the neural correlates of conscious access using a volitional mental imagery task, a report paradigm not confounded by motor behavior. Titrating propofol to loss of behavioral responsiveness in healthy volunteers creates dysfunction of the anterior insular cortex (AIC) in association with an impairment of dynamic transitions of default-mode and dorsal attention networks. Candidate subcortical regions mediating sensory gating or arousal (thalamus, basal forebrain) fail to show this association. The gating role of the AIC is consistent with findings in awake participants, whose conscious access is predicted by pre-stimulus AIC activity near perceptual threshold. These data support the hypothesis that AIC, situated at an intermediate position of the cortical hierarchy, regulates brain network transitions that gate conscious access.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 30
- Human high-order thalamic nuclei gate conscious perception through the thalamofrontal loop. Science April 4, 2025
- Mindful attention promotes control of brain network dynamics for self-regulation and discontinues the past from the present Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 3, 2023
- Propofol disrupts the functional core-matrix architecture of the thalamus in humans Nature Communications September 9, 2024
- The altered state of consciousness induced by Δ9-THC. Consciousness and Cognition May 28, 2022
- Temporospatial Nestedness in Consciousness: An Updated Perspective on the Temporospatial Theory of Consciousness Entropy July 17, 2023
and 25 more in the library
Cites 20
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Detecting Awareness in the Vegetative State Science September 7, 2006
- The salience network is responsible for switching between the default mode network and the central executive network: Replication from DCM Neuroimage May 24, 2014
- Two neural correlates of consciousness Trends in Cognitive Sciences January 13, 2005
- Breakdown of within- and between-network Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Connectivity during Propofol-induced Loss of Consciousness Anesthesiology September 30, 2010
and 15 more in the library