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A recent article in the New York Times entitled "A Small Part of the Brain, and Its Profound Effects" by Sandra Blakeslee (2/6/07) describes the significance of a little-known piece of brain tissue called the insula. With still much to discover about this organ and how it connects to the rest of the brain and the body, it has recently been recognized as a possible key component in what it means to be human.

The insula appears to play an important role in the control and regulation of a whole host of desires, impulses, and emotions. Blakeslee notes, "For example, the insula 'lights up' in brain scans when people crave drugs, feel pain, anticipate pain, empathize with others, listen to jokes, see disgust on someone's face, are shunned in social settings, listen to music, decide not to buy an iten, see someone cheat and decide to punish them, and determine degrees of preference while eating chocolate."

Who knew that so many thoughts and behaviors were the direct result of a tiny mechanism found deep in the brain? Moreover, to what extent does this biological attribute eliminate personal choice and free will? More practical questions (already underway in the scientific community) consist of how one could potentially manipulate the insula in order to treat drug addiction, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.