Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered that the brain’s decision making is guided by a neural circuit centered around the habenula, a small deep brain structure. These findings were published in Nature Neuroscience by a team of American scientists.
The study aimed to pinpoint how cognitive rewards influence choices, specifically how the joy of obtaining needed information can shape decisions. The results show that the drive for certain information and the aversion to missing it can significantly steer judgment and action.
The experiment enlisted 824 volunteers who faced a choice between two sentences that each signaled potential virtual monetary rewards with known or unknown probabilities. The researchers looked for hidden drivers that could push a person toward one option over another.
Results demonstrated that the habenula, a compact brain region deep within the brain, participates in the decision making process. This ancient vertebrate brain structure helps regulate the reward system and is linked to dopamine control, influencing how rewards are evaluated and pursued.
Another key outcome was that people tend to seek information to reduce uncertainty. When there was a chance of earning a larger sum by selecting a certain option, participants often pursued the information even if it did not provide practical value. Scientists labeled this behavior non-instrumental information seeking, a curiosity-driven motive that can override immediate payoff considerations.
Earlier work has shed light on how COVID-19 affected the brain, informing subsequent research into resilience and cognitive change under stress. The current findings add depth to our understanding of how information processing and reward circuits interact to guide choices in everyday life.