Does the Insula Control Smoking-Induced Dopamine Release? A TMS/[11C]-PHNO Study in Humans.

Findings from this study may demonstrate how the insula contributes to reward pathways involved in addiction. There are three main hypotheses for this trial. The first is that inhibiting the insula using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will not cause noticeable changes of dopamine release in the striatum. The second is that stimulating the insula with TMS will increase dopamine release in the striatum, and will be visualized on PET imaging as decreased radiotracer binding. The third hypothesis is that the participants will not experience major side effects from TMS on the insula.