Involvement of Insula and Cingulate Cortices in Control and Suppression of Natural Urges

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Lerner A., Bagic A., Hanakawa T., Boudreau E. A., Pagan F., Mari Z., ...More

CEREBRAL CORTEX, vol.19, no.1, pp.218-223, 2009 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 19 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2009
  • Doi Number: 10.1093/cercor/bhn074
  • Journal Name: CEREBRAL CORTEX
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.218-223
  • Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University Affiliated: No

Abstract

The physiology of control and suppression of natural urges is not well understood. We used [O-15]H2O positron-emission tomography imaging to identify neural circuits involved in suppression of spontaneous blinking as a model of normal urges. Suppression of blinking was associated with prominent activation of bilateral insular-claustrum regions, right more than left; activation was also found in bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), supplementary motor areas, and the face area of the primary motor cortex bilaterally. These results suggest a central role for the insula possibly together with ACC in suppression of blinking.