Convergent and selective representations of pain, appetitive processes, aversive processes, and cognitive control in the insula
Abstract
Abstract Brain regions that integrate multiple types of information (“convergence zones”) are crucial for the brain to generate coherent experiences and behaviors. The insula, known for its functional diversity, has been hypothesized as a key convergence hub, yet empirical evidence remains incomplete. To address this gap, we analyzed functional convergence across four domains—pain, non-somatic appetitive processes, non-somatic aversive processes, and cognitive control—in a Bayesian mega-analysis of fMRI data ( n = 540, 36 study contrasts). Bayes Factor analyses identified both multi-domain convergent and single-domain selective zones, validated with independent datasets ( n = 608). Results revealed a hierarchical architecture, with a multi-domain convergence zone in bilateral dorsal anterior insula surrounded by progressively converging zones. Functional decoding and coactivation analyses further support the insula’s role as a convergence hub, while cytoarchitectonic and neurotransmitter profiling characterize the potential neuroanatomical basis of these zones. Together, the findings demonstrate a structured functional topography in the insula that bridges specialized and convergent processing, providing a potential neural basis for combining diverse information streams into unified experiences.
Article Details
Authors (43)
Mijin Kwon
Ke Bo
Rotem Botvinik-Nezer
Philip A. Kragel
Lukas Van Oudenhove
Tor D. Wager
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College
Yoni K. Ashar
Lauren Atlas
Lisa Feldman Barrett
Benjamin Becker
The Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Luke Chang
Luana Colloca
Christopher G. Davey
Sigrid Elsenbruch
Miquel A. Fullana
Ben J. Harrison
Olivia K. Harrison
Alec Jamieson
Christian Keysers
Brian Knutson
Department of Psychology, Stanford University
Leonie Koban
Hedy Kober
Kevin S. LaBar
Claus Lamm
Martin Lindquist
Tina Lonsdorf
Marina López-Solà
Elizabeth Reynolds Losin
Yina Ma
Christian J. Merz
Lauri Nummenmaa
Kyle Pattinson
Pierre Rainville
Marianne Reddan
Rebecca Saxe
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Daniela Schiller
Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Alexander J. Shackman
Dana Small
Carles Soriano-Mas
Rudolf Stark
Choong-Wan Woo
Fadel Zeidan
Feng Zhou