Reference Translation of Group Exercise 3

戒菸 -- 動個腦部島葉手術使你忘了菸癮

Damaging insula -- new way for treating nicotine addiction

北京新華社 / 一月二十六日訊

最新一期科學期刊(journal Science)發表的研究發現，原本是老菸槍的腦部受傷患者，有些在手術痊癒後，一夕之間完全戒除菸癮，顯示腦部的研究將有助解開吸菸或其他藥物成癮的問題。

Mon, Jan 26

Beijing/Xinhua News Agency - A chain smoker, who had suffered from head injury, eliminated his nicotine addiction immediately after having taken some head surgery, according to a latest research published in journal Science. This research indicated that further studies on human brain would possibly resolve the problem of nicotine addiction or other similar drug addictions.

(Beijing, Jan. 26 (Xinhuanet) -…)

進行該項研究的靈感，來自於一名有24年菸齡的中風患者，他在動過腦部手術後，竟然忘了一天抽兩包菸的習慣，反而變成對香菸不再有渴望、也不用貼尼古丁貼片，甚至毫無感覺的就戒掉了。

The research, inspired by a stroke patient who had smoked for 24 years, found that smokers, in the habit of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, could give up the habit quickly and easily after having suffered a damage to a "particular part" of the brain.

(…without feeling any urge.)

據報導，從事研究的南加州大學貝查拉博士，已針對69名過去及現在吸菸者的腦部進行掃描，以精確定出和菸癮有關的部位。他說：「戒菸就好比關燈一樣容易，真是驚人。」

It was reported, Dr. Bechara, from University of South California, had found out a specific area in human brain related to nicotine addiction, after scanning the brains of 69 smokers who used to or were smoking. “Quitting smoking is just as easy as switching off a light – it’s amazing!” said Dr. Bechara.

該項發現將有助科學家針對這個較不為人知的腦部島葉區域，發展輔助戒菸的新方法。而該發現不僅可針對菸癮者的治療研究，亦有助其他成癮問題的研究。

This research on brain insula, seldom known to most people, can help scientists develop a new method for quitting cigarette smoking (eliminating nicotine addiction). Besides, it can be not only applied to nicotine addiction, but also other similar addiction.

長期調查腦部成癮問題的國家濫用藥物問題研究所所長懷特表示：「這是非常神奇的研究發現。」他指出，這顯示腦部島葉是大腦中，產生用藥慾望的主要部位。未來他將針對腦部成癮問題，進行各種不同的實驗。

Dr. White, the director of National Research Center on Drug Abuse, long working (researching) on (steeped in; devoted to) addiction problems, said, “This is a wonderful medical discovery!” As he pointed out, the brain insula has been proved to be heavily associated with drug urge (craving). In the future, he will do more experiments on the relationship between human brain and addiction.