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LATERALIZED INSULAR CIRCUITS ORCHESTRATE FEEDING UNDER INTERNAL CONFLICTS
Yiqing Caoand 3 co-authors
National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS07-10AM-349
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS07-10AM-349
Event Information
Poster Board
PS07-10AM-349
Poster
View posterAbstract
The brain must resolve conflicts between competing survival needs (e.g., hunger vs. threat), yet how this is achieved remains unknown. Here, using functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI), fiber photometry, electrophysiology, and circuit manipulations, we reveal a dynamic lateralization strategy in the insular cortex (IC) that resolves these interoceptive conflicts. During hunger, vagal-mediated activation of the left middle IC promotes feeding via projections to ipsilateral VGAT-positive neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Conversely, under interoceptive threat, spinal afferent-driven recruitment of the right middle IC suppresses feeding by engaging right LH VGLUT2-positive neurons. When both hunger and threat occur concurrently, these antagonistic circuits dynamically adjust their engagement to fine-tune food intake. This coordinated neural architecture not only establishes a core mechanism for homeostatic arbitration but also provides a framework for understanding maladaptive decision-making in psychiatric conditions including eating disorders and anxiety.
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