Shopping centers in the brain.
Knutson et al. performed functional MRI on individuals while the subjects were deciding whether or not to purchase various items. Their results, reported in this issue of Neuron, support the theory that the decision to purchase involves the integration of emotional signals related to the anticipation of both obtaining the desired product and suffering the financial loss of paying for it.
Dagher
Alain
A
Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University Avenue, Montreal QC, Canada H3A 2B4. alain@bic.mni.mcgill.ca
D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000502:physiology; D012201:Reward; D012309:Risk-Taking