State and trait characteristics of anterior insula time-varying functional connectivity
Lorenzo Pasquini,
Gianina Toller,
Adam Staffaroni,
Jesse A. Brown,
Jersey Deng,
Alex Lee,
Katarzyna Kurcyus,
Suzanne M. Shdo,
Isabel Allen,
Virginia E. Sturm,
Yann Cobigo,
Valentina Borghesani,
Giovanni Battistella,
Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini,
Katherine P. Rankin,
Joel Kramer,
Howard H. Rosen,
Bruce L. Miller,
William W. Seeley
Affiliations
Lorenzo Pasquini
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Gianina Toller
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Adam Staffaroni
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Jesse A. Brown
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Jersey Deng
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Alex Lee
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Katarzyna Kurcyus
Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
Suzanne M. Shdo
Psychology, University of California Berkeley, USA
Isabel Allen
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Virginia E. Sturm
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Yann Cobigo
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Valentina Borghesani
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Giovanni Battistella
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Katherine P. Rankin
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Joel Kramer
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Howard H. Rosen
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Bruce L. Miller
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
William W. Seeley
Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Memory and Aging Center, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Corresponding author. 675 Nelson Rising Lane 94158, San Francisco, CA, USA.
The human anterior insula (aINS) is a topographically organized brain region, in which ventral portions contribute to socio-emotional function through limbic and autonomic connections, whereas the dorsal aINS contributes to cognitive processes through frontal and parietal connections. Open questions remain, however, regarding how aINS connectivity varies over time. We implemented a novel approach combining seed-to-whole-brain sliding-window functional connectivity MRI and k-means clustering to assess time-varying functional connectivity of aINS subregions. We studied three independent large samples of healthy participants and longitudinal datasets to assess inter- and intra-subject stability, and related aINS time-varying functional connectivity profiles to dispositional empathy. We identified four robust aINS time-varying functional connectivity modes that displayed both “state” and “trait” characteristics: while modes featuring connectivity to sensory regions were modulated by eye closure, modes featuring connectivity to higher cognitive and emotional processing regions were stable over time and related to empathy measures.
