COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they are beginning to learn how the brain's neurons control decision-making and goal-oriented behaviors.
The scientists say their research focuses on discovering which particular rat brain neurons combine or "integrate" dissimilar pieces of information, for example location vs. reward.
Led by Zach Mainen of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, the study is said to represent the first time brain neurons have been shown to integrate spatial and reward information. Its results contrast with a previous "pure economic" view that neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex are involved solely in assessing value.
Moreover, the scientists say their study has implications for understanding pathological conditions in humans that affect decision-making, motivation and emotions, such as addiction, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism and other disorders of thought or mood.
"Ultimately, we're trying to understand how groups of neurons participate in the creation of perception, awareness, and goal-oriented behavior," said Mainen. "With this study, we're getting some of the first concrete clues about how the brain represents an animal's goals."
The research appears in the journal Neuron.
