Researchers have found that some smokers with damage to a specific area deep within the brain were able to butt out for good with virtually no effort.
The roughly toonie-sized region known as the insula can be damaged by stroke or other brain trauma.
A University of Southern California study found that 13 out of 19 patients who suffered damage to the insula were able to quit the habit with ease because they no longer had any desire to smoke.
Lead researcher Dr. Antoine Bechara says the insula plays a key role in transforming physical signals from the body into feelings.
For example, symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine would be interpreted through the insula as unpleasant feelings.
Dr. Bechara speculates that damage to the region interferes with those signals, so the smoker no longer feels the urge to light up.
He says drugs or other interventions that target the insula might be able to break the cycle of addictions to smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs.
