Brain Region Thinner In Smokers
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German researchers carried out a brain imaging study to see if smokers' brains differ from non-smokers'. Comparing MRIs of 22 smokers with those of 21 people who had never smoked, they found that the medial orbito-frontal cortex, a region of the cerebral cortex involved in reward processing, was thinner in smokers. Moreover, it tended to be thinnest in smokers who smoked the most and had been smoking the longest. Despite the concurrence, researchers say they will need further testing to see if smoking actually causes this region of the brain to shrink, or if people who have smaller medial orbito-frontal cortices are simply more likely to become smokers. SHARE:
Posted In: Nicotine Addiction - Smoking | Tags: Addiction | Brain | Smokers | Smoking | Cerebral Cortex | Medial Orbito Frontal Cortex | Posted by FindCounseling.com Staff on November 06, 2010 at 01:37 AM | Permalink |
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