ínsula

In Latin, insula means island. The term appears in various Romance and scientific vocabularies to denote an island or island-like feature, and it is used in different disciplines with related but distinct meanings. In anatomy, the insula, or insular cortex, is a region of the cerebral cortex buried within the lateral sulcus and hidden by the opercula of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. It is bordered by the circular sulcus and has anterior and posterior parts. The insula is associated with a range of functions, including interoception, gustation, autonomic regulation, emotion, and social cognition, and it participates in diverse neural networks that integrate sensory, affective, and cognitive information.

Historically, the word insula appears in Roman architecture as insulae, the multi-story apartment buildings that housed many urban residents. Ground floors often contained shops, while upper floors served as dwellings; the insulae varied in size and construction and were a notable feature of ancient Roman city life.

Etymologically, insula provides the root for terms such as insular and insulate, which carry meanings related to islands or island-like separation. In modern anatomy and neuroscience, the insula retains its name as the cortical region that forms an “island” within the opercular cortex and contributes to a variety of integrative brain functions.