Granular insular cortex

{{short description|Neocortical posterior region of the insular cortex}}

Granular insular cortex (or visceral area) refers to a portion of the cerebral cortex defined on the basis of internal structure in the human and macaque,{{cite book|author=Mesulam M-M; Mufson EJ|year=1985|chapter=5: The insula of Reil in man and monkey: Architectonics, connectivity, and function |pages=179–226 |title=Cerebral Cortex|veditors=Peters A, Jones EG |oclc=277149053}} the rat,{{cite book|author=Swanson LW|year=1998|title=Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain|edition=2nd Revised |publisher=Elsevier Science|location=Amsterdam |oclc=640898561 }} and the mouse.{{cite book|author=Paxinos G; Franklin KBJ|year=2001|title=The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates|edition=2nd |publisher=Academic Press|location=San Diego|oclc=493265554}} Classified as neocortex, it is in primates distinguished from adjacent allocortex (periallocortex) by the presence of granular layers – external granular layer (II) and internal granular layer (IV) – and by differentiation of the external pyramidal layer (III) into sublayers.{{cite book |author=Zilles K |year=2004 |chapter=27: Architecture of the human cerebral cortex |title=The Human Nervous System |edition=2nd |veditors=Paxinos G, Mai JK |publisher=Elsevier |location=Amsterdam |oclc=54767534}} In primates it occupies the posterior part of the insula.{{cite book |author=Mesulam M-M, Mufson EJ |year=1984 |chapter=5: The insula of Reil in man and monkey: Architectonics, connectivity, and function |pages=179–226 |title=Cerebral Cortex |veditors=Peters A, Jones EG |oclc=277149053}} In rodents it is located on the lateral surface of the cortex rostrally, dorsal to the gustatory area or, more caudally, dorsal to the agranular insula.{{cite book |author=Swanson LW |year=2004 |title=Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain |edition=3rd |publisher=Elsevier Academic Press |location=Oxford |oclc=225608577 }}