Researchers might have identified a part of the brain which might be a key to drug addiction. Patients who, following a stroke, had sustained damage to the part of the brain called the insular cortex (also known as the ‘insula’), stopped smoking within a day with extreme ease.
‘The research was inspired by a stroke survivor who claimed he simply forgot his two-pack-a-day addiction -- no cravings, no nicotine patches, not even a conscious desire to quit.
Clearly brain damage isn't a treatment option for people struggling to kick the habit.
But the finding, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science, does point scientists toward new ways to develop anti-smoking aids by targeting this little-known brain region called the insula. And it sparked excitement among addiction specialists who expect the insula to play a key role in other addictions, too.
"It's a fantastic paper. It's a fantastic finding," said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a longtime investigator of the brain's addiction pathways.’
Source: cnn.com
Angelo Abela - Psychiatric Nurse
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