November 7, 2011   Whether or not smokers give up the habit after having a stroke is influenced by the region of the brain damaged and their intention to quit smoking before having a stroke, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Patients who had experienced damage to the brain’s insular cortex, a part of the brain involved in processing emotions, were more than twice as likely to be a non-smoker after a year compared to patients whose brain injury was elsewhere. Additionally, those who had planned to stop smoking before having a stroke were more than twice as likely to be non-smokers after a year compared to patients who hadn’t considered stopping. “Public knowledge of the link between smoking and stroke is not as strong as it is with other diseases. The information gained from this study may help tailor individual treatment and education programs for smokers after stroke,” said lead study author Rosa Suñer.

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http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/body-and-mind-influence-quitting-218233.aspx