New research has found that smokers who had a stroke in a brain region called the insular cortex were more likely to quit smoking than those who had strokes in other regions of the brain. The research has led scientists to conclude this region could be crucial in treating addiction.

Share on Pinterest Active smokers who had strokes in the insular cortex region of the brain were more likely to quit smoking than smokers who had strokes in other regions of the brain.

Smokers who had strokes in the insular cortex also did not experience as many withdrawal symptoms as those who had strokes in other regions of the brain.

This new research takes the form of two studies that are published in the journals Addiction and Addictive Behaviors, respectively.

“These findings indicate that the insular cortex may play a central role in addiction,” reports lead author Amir Abdolahi, a clinical research scientist at Philips Research North America. “When this part of the brain is damaged during stroke, smokers are about twice as likely to stop smoking and their craving and withdrawal symptoms are far less severe.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the US, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year.

Due to the addictive qualities of nicotine, it can be difficult to quit smoking once it has become a habit. While smoking rates have fallen in recent years, from approximately 21 of every 100 adults in 2005 to 18 of every 100 adults in 2013, cigarette smoking is still behind 1 in every 5 deaths in the US.

At present, prescription drugs that are used to help people quit smoking work by disrupting “reward” pathways in the brain that respond to nicotine. Unfortunately, this form of treatment has a high rate of smoking relapse, with an estimated success rate of up to 30% after 6 months. Nicotine patches and lozenges have a similar rate of success.

Previous studies have suggested that the insular cortex region of the brain could play a significant role in the cognitive processes that enable drug use. It is unclear, however, as to whether changes in this region of the brain have any effect on drug use.

To investigate, the researchers set out to discover whether smokers who had suffered damage to the insular cortex from a stroke were more likely to quit smoking than smokers with acute damage to other regions of the brain.