 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you like to try new things and seek new experiences, you can thank your brain for being wired that way.
German researchers used new methods to study the wiring in humans brains. In the past, they had to rely upon using cross sections of brains of deceased people. But thanks to new technologies, such as MRI, scientists are now able to determine which directions the water in the brain tissue diffuses in the brains of live humans responding to a series of questions.
Text Continues Below
For this study, participants were asked to choose descriptions that characterized their personality best from a questionnaire. They were asked questions like, I like to try out new things just for fun or because its a challenge and I prefer to stay at home rather than traveling or investigating new things.
When the scientists from the University of Bonn examined the participants brains, they found that two centers in the brain -- the ventral striatum and the hippocampus -- interacted very well in people who said they liked to try new things.
The scientists said if the hippocampus identifies an experience as new, it then sends the corresponding feedback to the striatum. There, certain neurotransmitters are released, which leads to positive feelings.
Now that hazard-free methods to study the brain are being used, scientists say they hope to work on new issues related to the function of the brain. The Bonn researchers said they would like to investigate whether people actually behave differently depending on the wiring of the brain.
SOURCE: University of Bonn Press Release, November 23, 2008
Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
|
