Posted on 11/25/2013 7:56:15 AM PST by Red Badger
One of the smallest parts of the brain is getting a second look after new research suggests it plays a crucial role in decision making.
A University of British Columbia study published today in Nature Neuroscience says the lateral habenula, a region of the brain linked to depression and avoidance behaviors, has been largely misunderstood and may be integral in cost-benefit decisions.
"These findings clarify the brain processes involved in the important decisions that we make on a daily basis, from choosing between job offers to deciding which house or car to buy," says Prof. Stan Floresco of UBC's Dept. of Psychology and Brain Research Centre (BRC). "It also suggests that the scientific community has misunderstood the true functioning of this mysterious, but important, region of the brain."
In the study, scientists trained lab rats to choose between a consistent small reward (one food pellet) or a potentially larger reward (four food pellets) that appeared sporadically. Like humans, the rats tended to choose larger rewards when costs—in this case, the amount of time they had to wait before receiving food—were low and preferred smaller rewards when such risks were higher.
Previous studies suggest that turning off the lateral habenula would cause rats to choose the larger, riskier reward more often, but that was not the case. Instead, the rats selected either option at random, no longer showing the ability to choose the best option for them.
The findings have important implications for depression treatment. "Deep brain stimulation – which is thought to inactivate the lateral habenula—has been reported to improve depressive symptoms in humans," Floresco says. "But our findings suggest these improvements may not be because patients feel happier. They may simply no longer care as much about what is making them feel depressed."
Floresco, who conducted the study with PhD candidate Colin Stopper, says more investigation is needed to understand the complete brain functions involved in cost-benefit decision processes and related behaviour. A greater understanding of decision-making processes is also crucial, they say, because many psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, stimulant abuse and depression, are associated with impairments in these processes.
The lateral habenula is considered one of the oldest regions of the brain, evolution-wise.
Lovin Spoonful
Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind
Songwriters: JOHN SEBASTIAN
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Pick up on one and leave the other one behind
It’s not often easy, and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Did you ever have to finally decide?
Say yes to one and let the other one ride
There’s so many changes, and tears you must hide
Did you ever have to finally decide?
Sometimes there’s one with deep blue eyes, cute as a bunny
With hair down to here, and plenty of money
And just when you think she’s that one in the world
Your heart gets stolen by some mousy little girl
And then you know you better make up your mind
Pick up on one and leave the other one behind
It’s not often easy, and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Sometimes you really dig a girl the moment you kiss her
And then you get distracted by her older sister
When in walks her father and takes you in line
And says “Better go home, son, and make up your mind.”
Then you bet you’d better finally decide!
And say yes to one and let the other one ride
There’s so many changes, and tears you must hide
Did you ever have to finally decide
so they found out that liberals think with their ass?
.Only when their head is in it.................
Five minutes after you eat you'll be hungry again.................
“Scientists find brain region that helps you make up your mind”
I can’t decide.
And the female never made it to The Gap...
In Casablanca, the Ingrid Bergman character says “you decide” to Bogart, when she is confronted with choosing him, who she is attracted to, or her husband, whom she is obligated to. She gives up. It always used to really bother me that she abdicated her adult responsibility to make the choice. I thought that was really sexist— the little lady can’t make up her mind, bless her heart.
After reading this article, I understand better, I think, about paralyzing indecision and accompanying sadness or mental distress.
bkmk
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