Implications of insular cortex laterality for treatment of nicotine addiction

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence Vol. 201; pp. 178 - 181
• Main Authors: Abdolahi, Amir, Williams, Geoffrey C., van Wijngaarden, Edwin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01.08.2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Abstinence; Activation; Adaptation; Addiction; Addictions; Adult; Cerebral Cortex - diagnostic imaging; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Cigarette smoking; Cohort Studies; Cortex; Cortex (insular); Female; Follow-Up Studies; Functional Laterality - physiology; Hemispheric laterality; Hospitalization; Humans; Insular cortex; Laterality; Lateralization; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Neuroimaging; Neurology; Nicotine; Prospective Studies; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Regression models; Retrospective Studies; Smoking; Smoking Cessation - methods; Smoking Cessation - psychology; Stroke; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco Smoking - psychology; Tobacco Smoking - therapy; Tobacco Use Disorder - diagnostic imaging; Tobacco Use Disorder - therapy; Withdrawal; Withdrawal symptoms; Addiction; Laterality; Insular cortex; Smoking
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.04.017

•The left insula drives acute changes in urge more so than the right insula.•Insular laterality does not seem to play a role in regulating long-term urge levels.•The left insula drives withdrawal during abstinence more so than the right insula.•The left insula may be an effective target for smoking cessation therapies. Damage to the insula disrupts nicotine-induced cravings and is associated with greater odds of cessation. The role of laterality in regulating these changes is unclear. Neuroimaging studies in cigarette smokers show left hemispheric activation during a period of forced withdrawal and right hemispheric activation after having just smoked. Among current smokers hospitalized for stroke involving their insula, we compared left versus right insular damage and its effect on smoking outcomes. A total of 37 smokers hospitalized with unilateral insular strokes (14 right, 23 left) were administered questionnaires to assess urge (Questionnaire on Smoking Urges) before (retrospectively) and during hospitalization and 3 months post-stroke, withdrawal during hospitalization (Wisconsin Smoking Withdrawal Scale), and prolonged abstinence at 3 months post-stroke. Crude and adjusted linear regression models were performed controlling for baseline covariates. Right and left insular-damaged smokers experienced a significant decrease in urge from baseline to hospitalization and three-month follow-up (p < 0.01). Smokers with left-sided insular infarcts relative to right-sided experienced a larger decrease in acute urge (adjusted β=−1.16, 95% CI: −2.59, 0.27, p = 0.11) but not chronically (adjusted β=-0.06, 95% CI: −1.53, 1.40, p = 0.93). Left-sided insular damage was also associated with significantly fewer and less severe withdrawal symptoms during hospitalization (adjusted β=−3.52, 95% CI: −7.01, −0.04, p = 0.05). No differences were noted between groups for prolonged abstinence (p = 0.50). Left insular adaptations are suggestive to have an impact on acute changes in urge and withdrawal more so than the right insula, however lateral asymmetries did not exist for long-term changes.