Can smoking cessation target specific brain regions?

New from Nicole Petersen & colleagues at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA: exciting progress on nicotine addiction treatment. 

TMS is already FDA-cleared for smoking cessation, but where exactly to target the brain has been unclear. This study found that TMS sites more connected to a specific brain circuit, one already linked to addiction recovery after brain lesions, predicted much better improvement in withdrawal symptoms. 

The lesion-based & TMS-based data converged on the same circuit, pointing to concrete, testable targets for future treatment. A meaningful step toward more precise, more effective therapy for people trying to quit smoking. 

Read the entire paper: Convergence of TMS Sites and Lesion Locations Associated With Nicotine Addiction Improvement on a Common Brain Circuit