Cited by 318Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Revisiting the role of the insula in addiction

Open access
Droutman, Vita, Read, Stephen J., Bechara, Antoine·2015·Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Abstract

Brain lesions that damage the insular cortex (IC) interrupt addictive behaviors, suggesting that drug addiction sensitizes the insula. However, neuroimaging studies seem to lead to an opposite picture: structural neuroimaging studies show reduced gray matter volume of the IC of drug users, and functional neuroimaging studies show reduced IC activity when drug users perform decision-making tasks. These results have been interpreted as indicating that addictive behaviors are associated with reduced interoceptive signaling within the IC. Here, we use this apparent contradiction to examine the possible roles of the insula in addiction, identify open questions, and explore ways to address them.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.tics.2015.05.005

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78 of 78 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Smokers with insular damage are able to quit smoking easily, immediately, without relapse, and without persistence of the urge to smoke.

    “Notably, smokers with insular damage are able to quit smoking easily, immediately, without relapse, and without persistence of the urge to smoke [72,74].”

    From The Insular Cortex: An Interface Between Sensation, Emotion and Cognition (2024) · cites this paper as [74]

    The paper’s Human studies section reports that smokers with insular damage were more likely to quit and explains that such damage can interfere with craving sensations. Its Abstract says some individuals stopped smoking instantly and effortlessly. Neither passage establishes that smokers with insular damage quit without relapse or that their urge to smoke never persists. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Mindfulness meditation improves self-awareness that is deficit in substance use and addiction.

    “Recent studies have shown that mindfulness meditation improves self-awareness that is deficit in substance use and addiction [28,29].”
  • Over 80% of people with addiction do not seek treatment.

    “More than 80 % of addicted individuals fail to seek treatment, which might reflect impairments in recognition of severity of disorder [28,29].”

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Authors
Droutman, V., Read, S. J., & Bechara, A.
Affiliations
University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Droutman, Vita
Venue
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-07
Volume
19
Issue
7
Pages
414-420
ISSN
1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2164081174
Cited by
317
References
79
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 75 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 1
FWCI
2.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA031626)
  • National Cancer Institute (R01CA152062)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM109996)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
insula, drug addiction, interoception, gray matter volume, decision-making, brain lesions, functional neuroimaging, structural neuroimaging
MeSH terms
Animals, Cerebral Cortex, Humans, Substance-Related Disorders, Neuroimaging

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