Researchers Identify a Brain Circuit for Addiction Remission

In the United States, substance use disorders are a leading cause of death among young people. Treatments such as deep brain stimulation hold promise for helping people overcome addiction, but many questions remain about what brain areas should be targeted. Researchers are gaining new insights from patients who are no longer addicted to nicotine after experiencing a brain lesion, such as a stroke. Using a new technique known as lesion network mapping, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have mapped addiction remission to entire brain circuits rather than specific brain regions, pointing to new targets for treatment. Their results are published in Nature Medicine.

June 13, 2022 Press Release from Brigham and Women's Hospital

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