Role of the Insula in Smell and Disgust

Maike Heining; Mary Phillips

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511543623.005

3 - Role of the Insula in Smell and Disgust

from Section I - Neurology, Neurophysiology and Neuropsychology: Olfactory Clues to Brain Development and Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 August 2009

Maike Heining and

Edited by

David Castle and

Foreword by

Warrick J. Brewer: Affiliation:
Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Melbourne
David Castle: Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
Christos Pantelis: Affiliation:
University of Melbourne

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Summary

Introduction

The emotion of disgust

Disgust is an important emotion, as it is believed to have evolved to protect the individual from danger in the form of harmful substances, including those detected in the olfactory and gustatory modalities. Disgust (literally, ‘bad taste’) has been defined in terms of a food-related emotion. It has been recognised as a basic emotion since Darwin (1872/1998), who wrote that disgust was ‘… something offensive to the taste’. A more recent definition of disgust is offered by Rozin & Fallon (1987): ‘Revulsion at the prospect of (oral) incorporation of an offensive object. The offensive objects are contaminants; that is, if they even briefly contact an acceptable food, they tend to render that food unacceptable’. Sources other than ingestion, such as sex or defence against infection (Rozin et al., 2000) have also been proposed. A different approach to disgust, diverging from its definition based on taste, argues that it is based on the senses of touch and smell and that the taste–disgust association is more recent (Miller, 1997).

Like other emotions, disgust has a characteristic facial expression which is recognised across all cultures as shown in Figure 3.1 (Ekman & Friesen, 1976). This facial expression involves facial muscles necessary for the avoidance of ingestion of contaminants and consists of the closing of the nostrils and opening of the mouth. Features of this facial expression appear to be innate, as nose wrinkling and upper lip raising can be observed in neonates.

Keywords

disgust facial expression functional neuroimaging studies insula psychiatric disorders smell

Type: Chapter
Information: Olfaction and the Brain , pp. 50 - 64

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543623.005 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2006

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