Saturday, May 18, 2019
Worth an illustration
Via ScienceDaily, a finding that isn't quite earthshaking but does make an interesting connection.
We're looking at the brain from a right front angle. The right insula (shown with green folds here) is more of a hidden valley than an island. It's a deep infolding or pouching of the outer cortex, which comes close to the right amygdala (circled here).
I suppose you could call the insula an island if you were looking at it FROM the amygdala but that's not the normal way of describing things.
The right insula is known as the center of empathy, and the right amygdala is also known for empathy.
So "I feel your pain" is not just a cliche.
Moreover, neurons in the insular cortex connect to neurons in the amygdala, but the function of this brain connection was previously little studied. The insular cortex being similar between mice and men, the scientists turned to mice for their study. The researchers used light-activated ion channels that were genetically engineered into specific neurons in the brains of mice. This allowed them to switch off the electrical activity of neurons in the insular cortex by shining brief pulses of laser-light during the threat-learning behavior. By switching off the insular cortex during the painful event, the scientists found that mice became essentially fearless against a mild electric shock to the foot. In addition, the ability of the mice to learn from the painful event was greatly reduced.This deserves an illustration because the insula is a tricky piece of geography.
We're looking at the brain from a right front angle. The right insula (shown with green folds here) is more of a hidden valley than an island. It's a deep infolding or pouching of the outer cortex, which comes close to the right amygdala (circled here).
I suppose you could call the insula an island if you were looking at it FROM the amygdala but that's not the normal way of describing things.
The right insula is known as the center of empathy, and the right amygdala is also known for empathy.
So "I feel your pain" is not just a cliche.Labels: Entertainment
¶ 3:22 PM
