insular cortex and addiction

folks with a damaged insular cortex are able to stop smoking immediately and permanently. the insula is on the left side of the brain and is involved in emotional processing, hinting that addiction may be primarily emotional after all. interestingly, studies show that it's this part of the brain that is altered during extensive meditation (though the insula is large and has numerous functions).

a million questions follow from this. what is it about the insula? does this work with all additions? would it work for non-drug addictions such as shopping (a personal question)? will surgery or new drugs targeting the insula replace nicorette and hypnotism? does this poke holes in or confirm the disease theory of addiction?

individual differences in insular activity, linked to genetics, may also help us understand more about the addictive personality.

reference: Nasir H. Naqvi, David Rudrauf, Hanna Damasio, Antoine Bechara. Damage to the Insula Disrupts Addiction to Cigarette Smoking. Science. 2007 Jan 26; 315(5811):531-534.

Labels: drugs, neuroscience