The Role Of Insular Cortex In Pathogenesis Of Anxiety Disorders, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Schizophrenia And Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Gorana Sulejmanpasic1,2, Karim Arslanagic1
1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2 Clinic of Psychiatry, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Corresponding Author: Gorana Sulejmanpasic MD, PhD. Clinic of Psychiatry, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; E-mail: gsulejmanpasic@gmail.com; Phone: +387 61 507 537; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6487-647X
Cite this article: Sulejmanpasic G, Arslanagic K. The Role of Insular Cortex in Pathogenesis of Anxiety Disorders, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Sar Med J. 2024; 1(2): Online ahead of print. 
DOI: 10.70119/0020-24
Pages: -/ Published online: 21 December 2024
Original submission: 5 September 2024; Revised submission: 1 November 2024; Accepted: 27 November 2024
Abstract
Insular cortex (i.e., insula; Latin for “island”), also known as the Island of Riel, represents a still poorly researched part of neural circuitry consisting of anterior and posterior areas divided by the insular central sulcus and surrounded by the peri-insular sulcus. Insula is involved in a variety of functions including gustatory and sensorimotor processing, somatic processing, as well as risk-reward behavior. Insula has been shown to play a major role in socio-emotional processes, such as emotional experience and introspection. Recent comprehensive meta-analysis studies suggest that lesion of the insular cortex can lead to significant psychiatric and neurological dis-orders as it plays a vital role in human motivation and emotional perception. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the medical community regarding this mostly unknown part of the human brain and the role of insular cortex in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders.
Keywords: insula, neocortex, mental disorders.
