Study: Brain areas work differently for smokers and drinkers

Shanghai scientists have located brain areas corresponding to smoking and drinking, bringing new insights and opening possibilities for stopping addictive behavior.

They found that regular smokers tend to have low functional connectivity, especially in the brain area associated with the processing of punishment, while those who drink often have high brain connectivity, especially in the reward-related brain area.

As human behavior is often guided by the desire to obtain positive outcomes and avoid negative consequences, neuroscientists are particularly interested in areas of the brain that process those things.