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Lateralized deficits in arousal processing after insula lesions: Behavioral and autonomic evidence.
- Source :
-
Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior [Cortex] 2022 Mar; Vol. 148, pp. 168-179. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jan 31. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- A large body of evidence ascribes a pivotal role in emotion processing to the insular cortex. However, the complex structure and lateralization of emotional deficits following insular damage are not understood. Here, we investigated emotional ratings of valence and arousal and skin conductance responses (SCR) to a graded series of emotionally arousing scenes in patients with left (n = 10) or right (n = 9) insular damage and in healthy controls (n = 18). We found a significant reduction in overall SCRs, arousal ratings and valence extremity scores in right-lesioned patients, as compared to left-lesioned patients and healthy controls. The degree of right insular damage was significantly correlated with the degree of arousal, SCR and extremity attenuation. Additional analyses of correlations between subjective arousal ratings resp. SCR and normative arousal ratings revealed that both lesion groups had evaluative and physiological difficulties to discover changes in stimulus arousal. Although no group differences emerged on overall ratings of valence, analysis of correlations between subjective and normative valence ratings displayed markedly reduced accuracy in right-lesioned patients, as compared to left-lesioned patients and healthy controls. Our findings support the hypothesis that the left and right insulae subserve different functions in emotion processing, potentially due to asymmetrical representations of autonomic information in the left and right human forebrain. The right insula may serve as integral node for sympathetic arousal and cognitive-affective processing.<br />Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None.<br /> (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Autonomic Nervous System
Humans
Arousal physiology
Emotions physiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1973-8102
- Volume :
- 148
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 35180480
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2021.12.013