Selective decision-making deficit in love following damage to the anterior insula.
Neuroimaging studies have found a correlation between activation in the anterior insula and love, and a correlation between activation in the posterior insula and lust. The present control-case study describes a neurological male patient, with a rare, circumscribed lesion in the anterior insula, whom we tested using a decision task that required he judge whether each of a series of attractive individuals could be the object of his love or lust. The patient, in contrast with neurologically typical participants matched on age, gender, and ethnicity, performed normally when making decisions about lust but showed a selective deficit when making decisions about love. These results provide the first clinical evidence indicating that the anterior insula may play an instrumental role in love but not lust more generally. These data support the notion of a posterior-to-anterior insular gradient, from sensorimotor to abstract representations, in the evaluation of anticipatory rewards in interpersonal relationships.
The University of Chicago, High-Performance Electrical NeuroImaging Laboratory, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, Chicago, USA.
Stephanie
S
Cacioppo
Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, 1126, Argentina.
Blas
B
Couto
The University of Geneva, Department of Psychology, Action Intention & Relationship Laboratory, Geneva, Switzerland.
Mylene
M
Bolmont
Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, 1126, Argentina.
Lucas
L
Sedeno
Center for Advanced Imaging, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Center for Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Chris
C
Frum
Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Center for Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
James W
JW
Lewis
Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, 1126, Argentina.
Facundo
F
Manes
Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, 1126, Argentina. ; Universidad Diego Portales, Psychology, Santiago, Chile.
Agustin
A
Ibanez
The University of Chicago, High-Performance Electrical NeuroImaging Laboratory, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, Chicago, USA.
John T
JT
Cacioppo
anterior insula; love; neurology; pair-bonding; sexual desire; social neuroscience; stroke