Why can damage to the posterior insular cortex affect temperature sensation?

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thermoreception in polar bears — Thermoreception Warm-blooded animals, such as polar bears, maintain stable body temperatures and adapt to substantial geographic and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Thermal adaptation is supported by the function of sensory structures called thermoreceptors.

The posterior insular cortex serves as the dedicated cortical site for processing temperature information in the human brain.1

Damage to this area affects temperature sensation because it is the final destination in the primary thermoreceptive pathway, where neural activity from the thalamus is translated into the conscious perception of warmth or coolness. Functional imaging studies have confirmed that activation within the superior margin of the posterior insular cortex is directly correlated with the sensation of skin temperature.1

Because this region is essential for the discriminative capacity to perceive thermal stimuli, injury to the cortex disrupts the brain's ability to process these signals, leading to impaired temperature sensation, although this function may recover over time. Furthermore, this cortical area is integrated into a broader system that monitors the body's physiological condition and modulates homeostasis, highlighting its critical role in both sensory perception and internal regulation.1