Curing Addiction Cravings with Lidocain

Through research, scientists have been able to identify the part of the brain that is directly responsible for causing addictive cravings in both rats and humans. This part of the brain is called the Insula, which appears to monitor the body's heart rate, blood sugar, and prompts conscious feelings of hunger and cravings.
Researchers tested their theory on a bunch of lab rats that they got hooked on amphetamines. The rats would be given their dose of drugs in the same spot all the time. They would go to a well lit area of the cage to get their drugs even though it is in their nature to prefer the dark. After a short period of time, the rats became physically addicted.

When the rats were not provided with their dose of drugs on time they would begin to exhibit some signs of withdrawal. They would repeatedly travel to the well lit area of the cage and move around nervously. I guess you could say that they began to react like humans would if they were unable to get the drugs that they were physically addicted to.

Researchers began giving injections of lidocaine in the Insula area of the brain. What they found was that the rats would immediately go back to acting like rats. They no longer chose to be in the lit area of the cage. They went back to the dark portion of the cage and stopped searching for their drugs. What is important to note is that the effect on the insula because of the injection is not permanent. After a short while the medication wore off and the rats went back to exhibiting the withdrawal behavior.

How This Discovery Relates To Humans

Now I think it's pretty obvious that there are not going to be many volunteers to receive an injection to the brain. Researchers are not saying that their discovery should be tested on humans. What they are so excited about is the fact that this discovery has opened a new door for research into the treatment of addiction.

The reason why scientists are so confident that numbing the Insula would work on humans too is that there have been cases of people who have received brain injuries effecting the Insula portion of their brain. In these cases, there were people who were addicted to nicotine prior to the brain injury but after receiving the brain injury had no urge what so ever to pick up a cigarette. They also did not exhibit any of the classic nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

A major component in treating addiction is dealing with cravings. It was once thought that the pleasure center of the brain was the main area that was affected by repetitive drug use. While this portion of the brain is effected, it is not the major reason that addicts seek drugs. The withdrawal symptoms and the craving sensation that one gets seems to be the motivator behind continued drug use.

Therefor the discovery that numbing the part of the brain that controls the cravings is a major development in treating addiction. It seems to open a whole new area of research and development. Although we don't know exactly what the future holds for addiction treatment, it seems fair to say that it will most likely have something to do with the discovery of the insula's effect on withdrawal and drug cravings.