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WVU-SW-PCE  2007

WVU-SW-PCE 2007

Subject:

FW: DAMAGE TO SPECIFIC PART OF THE BRAIN MAY MAKE SMOKERS 'FORGET' TO SMOKE

From:

"Roger A. Lohmann" <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

MSW Alumni, West Virginia University

Date:

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 06:26:09 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (101 lines)

Now here's a novel research finding!

------ Forwarded Message
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:17:21 -0500
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Conversation: DAMAGE TO SPECIFIC PART OF THE BRAIN MAY MAKE SMOKERS 'FORGET'
TO SMOKE
Subject: DAMAGE TO SPECIFIC PART OF THE BRAIN MAY MAKE SMOKERS 'FORGET' TO
SMOKE

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News 
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
<http://www.nida.nih.gov/>

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Thursday, January 25, 2007, 2 p.m. ET
 
CONTACT: Dorie Hightower or Sara Rosario Wilson, 301-443-6245,
<e-mail: [log in to unmask]>, Contacto en Espaņol: 301-594-6145

DAMAGE TO SPECIFIC PART OF THE BRAIN MAY MAKE SMOKERS 'FORGET' TO SMOKE

Preliminary research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, has found that
some smokers with damage to a part of the brain called the insula may have
their addiction to nicotine practically eliminated. The study is published
in the January 26, 2007 issue of the journal "Science."

"The researchers found that smokers with insula lesions were 136 times more
likely to have their addiction to nicotine erased than smokers with other
brain injuries," says NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. "Research that
identifies a way to alter the function of this area could have major
implications for smokers and addiction treatment in general."

Dr. Antoine Bechara of the University of Southern California and his
colleagues identified 19 smokers who had experienced some degree of brain
damage, resulting in lesions on the insula. Of these, 13 quit smoking. The
scientists also identified 50 smokers whose brain injuries did not include
damage to the insula. Of these, 19 quit smoking.

The scientists recognized that individuals from both groups -- those with
damage to the insula or damage to other brain regions -- were able to quit
smoking. However, some smokers experienced a greater ease in quitting. The
scientists developed four behavioral criteria for determining who fell into
this group; those who reported: (1) quitting smoking less than one day after
the brain injury; (2) their difficulty of quitting was less than three on a
scale of one to seven; (3) that they did not smoke again after quitting; and
(4) no urge to smoke since quitting.

The researchers found that twelve of the 13 participants who quit smoking
following damage to their insula met these criteria as compared to only four
of 19 participants who quit smoking after sustaining damage to other brain
areas.

"Participants with damage to the insula were overwhelmingly more likely to
experience a true disruption of the urge to smoke, characterized by an
almost immediate cessation of smoking with no reported struggles to maintain
their abstinence," said Dr. Bechara. "We know that the insula plays a role
in the desire to smoke by anticipating physical effects brought on by
emotions such as those induced by environmental cues. Thus, damage to the
insula could lead smokers to feel that their bodies have 'forgotten' the
urge to smoke." 

"Cigarette smoking is the most common preventable cause of illness and death
in the modern world, and it is an addictive behavior," says Dr. Volkow.
"While additional research is needed to replicate these findings, the
current study suggests that damage to the insula can impact the conscious
'urge' to smoke, making it easier for smokers to quit and remain abstinent.
Medications that target receptors within the insula may offer promise in
developing more effective smoking cessation therapies in the future."

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National
Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA
supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse
and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to
ensure the rapid dissemination of research information and its
implementation in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of
drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be
found on the NIDA home page at <http://www.drugabuse.gov>.
 
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.

###

This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/nida-25b.htm>.

To subscribe (or unsubscribe) from this list, go to
http://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nihpress&A=1.

------ End of Forwarded Message

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