investigator say they ’ve discover which area of the mind are involved in the ability to resist , at least temporarily , the pleasure of a piece of cake or befuddle another $ 50 on the poker game table . Communication between the hippocampus ( a region tie in withmemory and emotion ) and the nucleus accumbens ( a part associated with the nous ’s advantage system and involve in theprocess of addiction ) is integral to the process of check gratification , according to a young survey of rats in theEuropean Journal ofNeuroscience .
McGill University psychologist train rats to choose between two different shape expose on an iPad screen , receiving refined sugar pellets as a reinforcement . They could choose one form to obtain a individual shot immediately , or another to receive four pellets a little bit later . After education , the rats were willing to give up the instant satisfaction of one lolly pellet in replication for more pellet later on .
However , when the researchers disrupt the tour link the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens , the rats became unwilling to hold off for a big reward , even if it only mean waiting a few extra second . Without it , the scum bag just could n’t look . By demarcation , disrupt functions in other parts of the brain , like regions involved in determination - making , did not affect the rats ’ willingness to check their loony toons of sugar . They still chose to delay satisfaction and hold back for more pellet after .

“ In some way this relationship makes sense ; the hippocampus is think to have a function in next planning , and the lens nucleus accumbens is a ' reward ' centre and a major recipient of Dopastat , a chemical responsible for transmitting signals related to pleasure and reinforcement , ” lead author Yogita Chudasama said in apress argument . Further inquiry with humans will be necessary , but these findings could eventually underpin the ontogeny of discourse for things like anxiety upset , gaming addictions , and more .