Island of Reil (Insula) in the Human Brain

Mehmet Turgut, MD, PhD, graduated from the Ege University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey and later specialized in neurosurgery in Hacettepe University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. In 2004, he received his PhD degree from Ege University Health Sciences Institute. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Neurosurgery, Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine. His fields of expertise and research interests are broad and include developmental neuroscience, neuroanatomy, pediatric neurosurgery, infectious diseases of the central nervous system, peripheral nerve surgery, and experimental pinealectomy. Dr. Turgut is an editorial board member for 24 international journals including Central European Neurosurgery, Journal of Pediatric Neurology, and Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice and a reviewer for a wide range of international journals and research programs. He has authored and co-authored more than 300 papers published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as over 40 books and book chapters.

Canan Yurttaş, MD, is a Professor of Anatomy at Ege University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey. She is the local coordinator between Ege University and EURON, the European Graduate School of Neuroscience and serves as a lecturer at Ege University’s Department of Neuroscience. Her areas of interest include DTI imaging, neurostereology and Klinger’s method of white matter dissection of the nervous system. She has 25 years of teaching and research experience and has authored and co-authored more than 30 papers published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as 5 books and book chapters.

R. Shane Tubbs, MS, PA-C, PhD is a Professor of Anatomy at St. George’s University, Grenada and has honorary professorships at Dundee University and Vanderbilt University. He is also Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of the Seattle Science Foundation in Seattle, WA. Dr. Tubbs’ research interests are centered on “reverse translational anatomy research” where clinical problems are identified and solved with anatomical studies. Dr. Tubbs also serves on the editorial board of 10 anatomical journals and has reviewed for over 100 scientific journals. He has been a visiting professor to major institutions in the US and worldwide. Dr. Tubbs has authored over 20 books and over 50 book chapters. He is an editor for the 41st edition of Gray’s Anatomy and is the editor-in-chief of the journal Clinical Anatomy.

Part 1: Anatomy of the Human Insula: Embryological Development of Insula
Gross Anatomy of the Human Insula
Surgical Anatomy of the Insula
Middle longitudinal fasciculus in the human brain from fiber dissection
Structural Connectivity of the Insula to Other Cortical Regions
Neuroimaging Techniques for Investigation of the Insula
Measurements of the Insula Volume using MRI
Neuroimaging in Social Anxiety Disorder
Part 2: Functions of the Human Insula: Nociceptive Local Field Potentials Recorded from the Human Insula are not Specific for Nociception
Participation of the Insula in Language
Role of the Anterior Insula in Decision Making
Lateralization of the Insular Cortex
Gustatory Areas within the Insular Cortex
Role of the Insula in Human Cognition
Right Anterior Insula: Core Region of Hallucinations in Cognitive Neurodegenerative Diseases
Role of the Insula in Visual and Auditory Perception
Role of the Anterior Insula in Autism
Role of the Insular Cortex in Emotional Awareness
Alterations of Reil's Insula in Alzheimer's Disease
Contribution(s) of the Insula to Speech Production
Role of the Insula in Auditory Processing
Role of the insula in non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Part 3: Clinical Disorders Related with Insula
Insular Cortex Epilepsy
Role of the Insula in Meditation
Neuropsychological Deficits due to the Insula Damage
Role of the Insula in Schizophrenia
Part 4: Surgery of the Insular Cortex
Surgical Techniques for Investigation of Role of the Insula in Epilepsy
Surgery of insular diffuse low-grade gliomas
Role of the Insula in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery Failure.