Peak Experience and the Insula in Health and Illness

Three major neural networks exist in the human central nervous system-the executive function network, the default mode network and the salience network. A key component of the latter is the insula. The insula and associated structures is implicated in peak experiences such as romantic love, profound spirituality and engagement with the arts which can impart to those experiencing them a sublime sense of connection with something beyond themselves which helps give their lives meaning. This mental state can also occur in rare neuropsychiatric disorders; here, Dr Nicholson explores the research.