AI Article Synopsis

  • The anterior insular cortex (AIC) plays a crucial role in integrating feelings and bodily states to influence decision-making, particularly in heavy drinkers facing delay discounting (DD), which is the tendency to favor immediate rewards over delayed ones.
  • A study with 29 heavy drinkers using functional MRI found that certain brain regions, including the right dorsal AIC, were activated during DD tasks and showed a negative correlation with impulsive choices and alcohol consumption.
  • The research suggests that better engagement of the right dAIC in intertemporal choices leads to lower impulsivity and drinking behavior, indicating that the AIC may be important in making decisions about future rewards.

Article Abstract

Background: The anterior insular cortex (AIC), a prominent salience network node, integrates interoceptive information and emotional states into decision making. While AIC activation during delay discounting (DD) in alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been previously reported, the associations between AIC activation, impulsive choice, alcohol consumption, and connectivity remain unknown. We therefore tested AIC brain responses during DD in heavy drinkers and their association with DD performance, alcohol drinking, and task-based connectivity.

Methods: Twenty-nine heavy drinkers (12 females; mean (SD) age=31.5 ± 6.1 years; mean (SD)=40.8 ± 23.4 drinks/week) completed a DD task during functional MRI. Regions activated during DD decision making were tested for correlation with DD behavior and alcohol drinking. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) models assessed the task-dependent functional connectivity (FC) of activation during choice.

Results: Delay discounting choice activated bilateral anterior insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and left precentral gyrus. Right dorsal (d) AIC activation during choice negatively correlated withdiscounting of delayed rewards and alcohol consumption. PPI analysis revealed FC of the right dAIC to both the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices-key nodes in the midline default mode network.

Conclusions: Greater dAIC involvement in intertemporal choice may confer more adaptive behavior (lower impulsivity and alcohol consumption). Moreover, salience network processes governing discounting may require midline default mode (precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex) recruitment. These findings supporta key adaptive role for right dAIC in decision making involving future rewards and risky drinking.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9427725PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.14888DOI Listing

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