Browsing by Subject "AA-rats"

When considering addiction research over the last three decades the insula has been of particular interest. The insula is responsible for interoception, the process of integrating peripheral information with higher awareness. It has been suggested that addiction could be cured or remedied by manipulating the insular cortex. The aim of this study was to develop a protocol to examine connections of a specific brain area. Following this, the protocol was then applied to identify which specific brain areas the anterior insular cortex activates. Thus, providing a better understanding of the role the insula plays in addiction. The anterior insular cortex was initially activated ipsilaterally with DREADDs in AA-rats (Alko, Alcohol) and then labeled using free-floating brain section immunofluorescence labeling protocol. Activation was subsequently compared between ipsilateral and contralateral sides on fluorescence pictures where single neurons were identified. The study identified thirteen (13) statistically significant activated brain areas. On the basis of these findings, the data suggests that the protocol was successful and the insula has broad connections. However, more research is required in order to better understand the insula.