Triggering behavioral adaptation upon the detection of adversity is crucial for survival. The insular cortex is known to process emotions and homeostatic signals, but how the insular cortex detects internal states and mediates behavioral adaptation is poorly understood. In my talk, I will present recent data from my lab uncovering a role for the posterior insula in processing aversive sensory stimuli, emotional and bodily states, and in exerting prominent top-down modulation of ongoing behaviors in mice. I will further present unpublished results establishing facial expressions as reliable and precise readouts of emotions states in mice, which we have successfully employed to correlate neuronal activity to subjective experiences. Together, our work aims at contributing to a more detailed understanding of the processing and regulation of emotion states.
Organizer
Prof.dr. J.G.G. Borst
g.borst@erasmusmc.nl