Figure 4. Individuals with asthma who have a late phase response show increased anterior insular reactivity to asthma-related words, during an antigen challenge relative to a methacholine challenge, compared to their response to negative or neutral words.

The difference in right anterior insula response to asthma-related versus negative words, during antigen versus methacholine challenge (Ag(As-Ng)-Meth(As-Ng)) in the late phase group was significantly different from the insula response of both the non-late phase group (F(1,15) = 6.47, p = .02) and the control group (F(1,17) = 10.53, p = .005). (To see % signal change in the insula during individual conditions, see Figure S1). The overall group x challenge x valence interaction was significant (F(4, 48) = 3.24, p<.05). Error bars represent standard error of the mean. Coordinates are in Montreal Neurological Institute Space (MNI).