Study: Reward and Punishment in the Brain (And its relationship to depression)

[HuckleB]

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/reward-and-punishment-in-the-brain/#more-6875

"In a recent study, scientists looked at the brain with high resolution fMRI scanning while they showed subjects pictures. Following each picture was a painful electric shock, or a money reward, or no response, or a random response. Subjects quickly learned which pictures would be followed by which stimuli – positive, negative, neutral, or unpredictable.

Scientists do this sort of thing not because they like to torture people but to study the brain’s response. In this case they were particularly interested in a small deep structure called the habenula. What they found, for the first time in humans but consistent with prior animal research, is that the habenula would light up when subjects saw a picture that would be followed by a shock, and the activity in the habenula increased the more certain the subjects were that negative stimuli were following.

The researchers conclude that the habenula is a critical structure for the processing of negative stimuli, in fact it seems to be the hub of the neural network involved in learning to anticipate negative stimuli.

...

Specifically this helps us understand the neuroanatomical correlates of predicting negative outcomes. In animal research, hyperactivity in the habenula has been associated with depressive behavior. Further, deep brain stimulation of this structure has been used to treat depressive symptoms.

..."

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I just found this all the more interesting in light of recent events.

Take care.

[hlthe2b]

1. Ohhh... if only we were further along with this research...

to think there might be targeted treatment coming--but too late for Williams and so many others.

Hope for the future....

[HuckleB]

2. It's really difficult to study the brain, at this point.

Baby steps help, but we're a long way off from making big progress.

Take care.

[Stargazer99]

3. What really pisses me off

is the cultural/society's solution to depression....Pills! Not fixing the things in our political/economic system that contribute to circumstances that cause depression (the logical thing to do) just chemically adjust the depressed. No wonder people resort to drugs and alcohol.

[hlthe2b]

4. True of depresson, true of violence, true of poverty....

We don't want to expend the effort and $$ to do the things we know will help to prevent.

[HuckleB]

5. While we go to medication too often, and too quickly...

... it would be absolutely heartbreaking and sad if we didn't have some of the treatments we have. The brain is just as physical as the rest of the body, and sometimes things don't mesh just so. Medication has helped millions of people over time.

[redqueen]

6. K&R nt