Area of brain linked to cigarette cravings
American scientists have identified an area of the brain called the insula that is linked to the craving for cigarettes. People who suffer damage to the insular find it much easier to give up smoking.
Researchers monitored two groups of stroke patients who had given up smoking. One group had insula damage while the other had theirs intact. When questioned those with damaged insula said they had fewer cravings and found it much easier to give up than those in the second group.
“The quitting is like a light switch that went off,” said Antoine Bechara of the University of Southern California, who scanned the brains of 69 smokers and ex-smokers to pinpoint the region involved.
The researchers say that drugs could be developed to suppress this area of the brain to help those who want to stop smoking.