Functional connectivity of the human insular cortex during noxious and innocuous thermal stimulation

►The anterior insular cortex is functionally strongly connected to areas known for affective and cognitive pain processing. ►The posterior insular cortex is more strongly connected with areas known for sensory-discriminative processing of noxious and somatosensory stimuli. ►These findings support the central role of the insula in pain and thermoception and corroborate the view of the insula as a multidimensional integration side for pain.