Recent research on smoking has revealed something astounding. The study was carried out on the people who had damage to a prune-size slab of brain tissue called Insula and found that they were able to give up smoking. The insular cortex (also often referred to as just the insula) is a structure of the human brain. It lies deep to the brain’s lateral surface, within the lateral sulcus which separates the temporal lobe and inferior parietal cortex.
Scientists anticipate that research on Insula could possible open the new doors for treatment to drug addiction, anxiety, and eating disorders. Scientists say that Insula is the ‘wellspring of social emotions, things like lust and disgust, pride and humiliation, guilt and atonement.’
What does the Insula do?
For example, the Insula “lights up” in brain scans when people crave drugs, feel pain, anticipate pain, empathize with others, listen to jokes, see disgust on someone’s face, are shunned in a social settings, listen to music, decide not to buy an item, see someone cheat and decide to punish them, and determine degrees of preference while eating chocolate. Damage to the insula can lead to apathy, loss of libido and an inability to tell fresh food from rotten.
Though Insula can be taken as an ideal thing to look for its role in many treatments such as drugs and complicated biofeedback, scientists will have to be very cautious since people could possible not only loose desire for food and drink but they could also loose interest in sex and work.
Via: IHT
