| Predictability modulates human brain response to reward (2001) | |||||||||||||||
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| Certain classes of stimuli, such as food and drugs, are highly effective in activating reward regions. We show in humans that activity in these regions can be modulated by the predictability of the sequenced delivery of two mildly pleasurable stimuli, orally delivered fruit juice and water. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the activity for rewarding stimuli in both the nucleus accumbens and medial orbitofrontal cortex was greatest when the stimuli were unpredictable. Moreover, the sub-The pursuit of natural rewards such as food, drink, and sex is a major external influence on human behavior. Nevertheless, the issue of how rewards affect human behavior remains primarily unresolved. There are many factors that contribute to this gap in our knowledge; however, one roadblock has been the difficulty of defining and measuring isolated effects of rewards on human behavior or brain activation. In animals, reward is defined as an | |||||||||||||||
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