The insular cortex, or “Island of Reil,” is hidden deep within the lateral sulcus of the brain.
Subdivisions within the insula have been identified on the basis of cytoarchitectonics, sulcal …

Humans respond cognitively and emotionally to the built environment. The modern
possibility of recording the neural activity of subjects during exposure to environmental …

Western diets rich in fat and sugar promote excess calorie intake and weight gain; however,
the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Despite a well-documented association between …

The processing of rewards and losses are crucial to everyday functioning. Considerable
interest has been attached to investigating the anticipation and outcome phases of reward …

The new technological advances achieved during the last decade allowed the scientific
community to investigate and employ neurophysiological measures not only for research …

Since the 19th century, there has been disagreement over the fundamental question of
whether" emotions" are cause or consequence of their associated behaviors. This question …

The orbitofrontal cortex represents the reward or affective value of primary reinforcers
including taste, touch, texture, and face expression. It learns to associate other stimuli with …

One fundamental question concerning brain reward mechanisms is to determine how
reward-related activity is influenced by the nature of rewards. Here, we review the …

Midbrain dopamine neurons are well known for their strong responses to rewards and their
critical role in positive motivation. It has become increasingly clear, however, that dopamine …

Insula function is considered critical for many motivated behaviors, with proposed functions
ranging from attention, behavioral control, emotional regulation, goal-directed and aversion …