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The insular cortex as a vestibular area in relation to autonomic function

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Abstract

The forebrain cerebral network including the insular cortex plays a crucial role in the regulation of the central autonomic nervous system in relation to emotional stress. Numerous studies have recently shown that the insular cortex also has roles as a vestibular area in addition to auditory function. In this review, we summarize the recent literature regarding the relationship between the insular cortex and vestibular function, and we describe our hypothesis that the insular cortex has a pivotal role in vestibular-cardiovascular integration.

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Abbreviations

AI:

Anterior insula

ASG:

Anterior short gyrus

FEF:

Frontal eye field

Ic:

Insular cortex

LG:

Anterior long gyrus

MCA:

Middle cerebral artery

MIP/VIP:

Medial/ventral intraparietal area

MSG:

Mid-short gyrus

MST:

Medial superior temporal area

MSTd:

Dorsal portion of the MST

PIVC:

Parieto-insular vestibular cortex

PLG:

Posterior long gyrus

PSG:

Posterior short gyrus

STP/STS:

Polysensory area of the superior temporal sulcus

TPJ:

Temporoparietal junction

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Hiroshima City Asa Hospital, 2-1-1 Kabeminami, Aaskita-ku, Hiroshima, 731-0293, Japan

    Michiaki Nagai

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Verena Scheper & Thomas Lenarz

  3. Cluster of Excellence ‘Hearing4all’, German Research Foundation, Hannover, Germany

    Verena Scheper & Thomas Lenarz

  4. Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, University Hospital Würzburg, Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), Würzburg, Germany

    Carola Y. Förster

Authors
  1. Michiaki Nagai
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  2. Verena Scheper
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  3. Thomas Lenarz
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  4. Carola Y. Förster
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Correspondence to Michiaki Nagai.

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Nagai, M., Scheper, V., Lenarz, T. et al. The insular cortex as a vestibular area in relation to autonomic function. Clin Auton Res 31, 179–185 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-020-00744-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-020-00744-8

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