Insular cortex mediates approach and avoidance responses to social affective stimuli

Abstract

Social animals detect the affective states of conspecifics and utilize this information to orchestrate social interactions. In a novel social affective preference text in which experimental adult male rats could interact with either naive or stressed conspecifics, the experimental rats either approached or avoided the stressed conspecific, depending upon the age of the conspecific. Specifically, experimental rats approached stressed juveniles but avoided stressed adults. Inhibition of insular cortex, which is implicated in social cognition, and blockade of insular oxytocin receptors disrupted the social affective behaviors. Oxytocin application increased intrinsic excitability and synaptic efficacy in acute insular cortex slices, and insular oxytocin administration recapitulated the behaviors observed toward stressed conspecifics. Network analysis of Fos immunoreactivity in 29 regions identified functional connectivity between insular cortex, prefrontal cortex, amygdala and the social decision-making network. These results implicate insular cortex as a key component in the circuit underlying age-dependent social responses to stressed conspecifics.

Understanding others: Emotion recognition in humans and other animals

“…Findings at the single‐unit level, together with functional imaging evidence in humans, are clarifying the contribution and specificity of selective neurons in emotion processing leading to new interpretations about the roots of complex cognitive functions. More functional knowledge on the role of brain circuits could be achieved by the use of appropriate emotion‐based paradigms in rodents, as indicated by recent findings, which support the existence of conserved brain substrate among species …”

Neuromodulation of maternal circuits by oxytocin

“…Oxytocin mediates a broad spectrum of prosocial behaviors such as empathy, pair bonding, mating and social reward (Dölen et al, 2013; L. W. Hung et al, 2017; Insel and Young, 2001; Nakajima et al, 2014; Rogers-Carter et al, 2018). Therefore, studying oxytocin circuits controlling maternal behavior will advance our understanding of the mammalian social behavior network.…”

“…The oxytocin receptor is expressed in several cortical areas, including A1, S1, mPFC, insular cortex, entorhinal cortex and piriform cortex (Knobloch et al, 2012; Mitre et al, 2016; Rogers-Carter et al, 2018; Sabihi et al, 2014). However, it remains unexplored how maternal oxytocin might control these areas.…”

“…Finally, the transition to motherhood may trigger long-lasting changes in oxytocin signaling in central areas, which have additional consequences for future social experience or cognitive processes. Oxytocin signaling in the insular cortex differentially regulates affection towards juveniles or adults (Rogers-Carter et al, 2018). An important future research direction would be to explore how cortical oxytocin during motherhood might affect the perception of infant and adult social cues.…”

Social neuroscience of disgust

“…The insular cortex receives inputs from OT‐containing axons from the PVN and OTR binding is enriched in the insular cortex. In rats the insular cortex through the activity of OT receptors mediates approach and avoidance to social affective stimuli . In addition, in rats 5‐HT3 receptors in the anterior insula are involved in the mediation of anticipatory nausea with OT modulating 5‐HT3 activity.…”