https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/tags/insular-cortex/Recent content in Insular Cortex on MindLAB Neuroscience — Draft ReviewHugo -- 0.156.0en-us2026 Dr. Sydney Ceruto — MindLAB NeuroscienceTue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/posts/insular-cortex-interoception/Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/posts/insular-cortex-interoception/<h1 id="insular-cortex-and-interoception-the-brain-region-that-bridges-body-signals-to-emotional-intelligence">Insular Cortex and Interoception: The Brain Region That Bridges Body Signals to Emotional Intelligence</h1> <p><img alt="Human insular cortex suspended in deep navy with copper neural filaments — Dr. Sydney Ceruto, MindLAB Neuroscience." loading="lazy" src="https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/images/posts/insular-cortex-interoception-hero.webp"></p> <p>The insular cortex is the brain&rsquo;s mapping organ for the body — the cortical region that converts visceral signals into conscious feeling. The posterior insula receives raw afferent input from heart, lungs, viscera, and pain pathways. The anterior insula re-represents that input with cognitive and emotional context, producing the felt experience the brain reads as emotion. Interoception is that re-representation.</p>https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/posts/why-do-i-push-people-away/Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/posts/why-do-i-push-people-away/<h1 id="why-do-i-push-people-away-the-neuroscience-of-withdrawal">Why Do I Push People Away? The Neuroscience of Withdrawal</h1> <p><img alt="Isolated neural architecture suspended in deep navy with copper filaments — Dr. Sydney Ceruto, MindLAB Neuroscience." loading="lazy" src="https://mindlab-blog-drafts.pages.dev/images/posts/why-do-i-push-people-away-hero.webp"></p> <p>You push people away because the oxytocin and dopamine circuits that pull humans toward connection have been blunted, not because something is wrong with how you feel. Chronic loneliness rewires the trust circuits in the insula, downregulates oxytocin signaling, and dampens the VTA&rsquo;s social-craving response.</p>