Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is suggested to be a structural and functional abnormality in the insula. The insula, which consists of distinct subregions with various patterns of connectivity, displays complex and diverse functions. However, whether these insular subregions have different patterns of connectivity in PTSD remains unclear. Investigating the abnormal functional connectivit...

The molecular and cellular mechanisms of memory storage have attracted a great deal of attention. By comparison, little is known about memory allocation, the process that determines which specific neurons in a neural network will store a given memory. Previous studies demonstrated that memory allocation is not random in the amygdala; these studies showed that amygdala neurons with higher levels...

The effects of Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) on regulation of immune response have been recognized; whether SEB can enhance the effects of immunotherapy on glioma remains to be investigated. This study tests a hypothesis that administration with SEB enhances the effects of specific immunotherapy on glioma growth in mice. In this study, a glioma-bearing mouse model was developed by adoptive...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether there were differences in the magnitude of insular cortex activation across varying intensities of static and dynamic exercise. Eighteen healthy volunteers were studied: eight during two intensities of leg cycling and ten at different time periods during sustained static handgrip at 25% maximal voluntary contraction or postexercise cuff...

Mauro Boronat, PhD, Pedro Saavedra, PhD, Laura López-Ríos, PhD, Marta Riaño, MD, Ana M. Wägner, PhD, Francisco J. Nóvoa, PhD. Section of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Universitario Insular, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Las Palmas University, Spain, Mathematics Department, Las Palmas University, Spain, Service of Biochemistry, Hospital U...

See related article, pages 373–378. Stroke progression is a noteworthy phenomenon. It may manifest radiologically, clinically or as both. Several systemic upheavals contribute including cardiovascular dysregulation, blood glucose disturbances and hyperthermia to name just three.1 No previous studies, however, have really assessed whether any particular stroke location might be especially prone ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Alterations in the central autonomic network are hypothesized to play a role in the pathophysiologic mechanism underlying neurocardiogenic syncope; however, few data are available regarding the structural changes of the brain in this condition. We used voxel-based morphometry and regional volumetry to identify possible neuroanatomic correlates. MATERIALS AND METHODS We ...

INTRODUCTION In this study, we assessed the relationship of insular strokes and plasma MR-proANP levels with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (NDAF). METHODS This study is based on a prospective acute stroke cohort (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00390962). Patient eligibility was dependent on the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, absence of previous stroke based on past medical histo...

The insula plays a key role in brain processing of noxious and innocuous thermal stimuli. The anterior and the posterior portions of the insular cortex are involved in different ways in nociceptive and thermoceptive processing. Therefore, their stimulus-specific functional connectivity may also differ. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the activity and fun...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Based on previous observations that infarcts encompassing the insula were linked to unfavorable clinical outcome, we hypothesized that insular damage was directly associated with worsened infarction in ischemic but potentially viable neighboring brain tissue. METHODS Using acute diffusion- and perfusion-weighted MRI within the first 12 hours of symptom onset and a follo...