The News
Study says brain damage may stub out urge to smoke
Finding could point to development of new cessation aids
By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 01/25/2007 11:36:00 PM MST

Washington - A longtime smoker, code-named Nathan, simply forgot his two-pack-a-day addiction after a stroke. He had no cravings, no desire to quit. "My body forgot the urge to smoke," he told his doctor nonchalantly. His comment inspired research that suggests damage to a silver-dollar-size spot deep in the brain can wipe out the urge to smoke. The discovery may shed important new light on addiction. The finding points scientists toward new ways to develop anti-smoking aids by targeting this little-known brain region called the insula.

The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science