Insula mediates heartbeat related effects on visual consciousness

Roy Salomon, Roberta Ronchi, Jonathan Dönz, Javier Bello-Ruiz, Bruno Herbelin, Nathan Faivre (), Karl Schaller and Olaf Blanke
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Roy Salomon: LNCO - Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience - EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Roberta Ronchi: EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Jonathan Dönz: EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Javier Bello-Ruiz: EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Bruno Herbelin: EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Nathan Faivre: CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LNCO - Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience - EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Karl Schaller: Department of Medical Imaging and Information Sciences, Interventional Neuroradiology Unit - HUG - Geneva University Hospital
Olaf Blanke: LNCO - Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience - EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) from HAL

Abstract: Interoceptive signals, such as the heartbeat, are processed in a network of brain regions including the insular cortex. Recent studies have shown that such signals modulate perceptual and cognitive processing, and that they impact visual awareness. For example, visual stimuli presented synchronously to the heartbeat take longer to enter visual awareness than the same stimuli presented asynchronously to the heartbeat, and this is reflected in anterior insular activation. This finding demonstrated a link between the processing of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals as well as visual awareness in the insular cortex. The advantage for visual stimuli which are asynchronous to the heartbeat to enter visual consciousness may indicate a role for the anterior insula in the suppression of the sensory consequences of cardiac signals. Here, we present data from the detailed investigation of two patients with insular lesions (as well as four patients with non-insular lesions and healthy age matched controls) indicating that a lesion of the anterior insular cortex, but not of other regions, abolished this cardio-visual suppression effect. The present data provide causal evidence for the role of the anterior insula in the integration of internal interoceptive and external sensory signals for visual awareness.

Keywords: Cardio-visual interaction; Brain-damaged patients; Anterior insula; Visual awareness; Interoception; Heartbeat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-04
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Published in Cortex, 2018, 101, pp.87-95. ⟨10.1016/j.cortex.2018.01.005⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-01709060

DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.01.005

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