A 65-year old woman expressed symptoms of Cotard's Syndrome that was linked to fronto-temporal atrophy and bilateral insular cortex (IC). This means that the patient has loss of neutrons and the connections between them in the frontal/temporal lobes of her brain, and the insular cortex seems to have a relation to the development of Cotard's Syndrome.
The insular cortex plays an important role in interoception, or the conscious awareness of internal sensations. The anterior (AIC) and posterior (PIC) parts of the IC have two different roles in the processing of internal sensations. The AIC supports primary or objective mapping of sensory signals, and the PIC is responsible for subjective access. The AIC is also cloesly connected to the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) which contains von Economom Neuron (VEN) which is responsible for the conscious experience of selfhood. The connection between the AIC and the VEN means that the AIC is essential to experience body ownership. This means that damage to, or malfunction, of the IC would result in the main symptoms of Cotard's Syndrome as patients dissociate from themselves and believe themselves to be dead.
The insular cortex plays an important role in interoception, or the conscious awareness of internal sensations. The anterior (AIC) and posterior (PIC) parts of the IC have two different roles in the processing of internal sensations. The AIC supports primary or objective mapping of sensory signals, and the PIC is responsible for subjective access. The AIC is also cloesly connected to the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) which contains von Economom Neuron (VEN) which is responsible for the conscious experience of selfhood. The connection between the AIC and the VEN means that the AIC is essential to experience body ownership. This means that damage to, or malfunction, of the IC would result in the main symptoms of Cotard's Syndrome as patients dissociate from themselves and believe themselves to be dead.