What is the self-reinforcement hypothesis? A new theory explains how the mesolimbic dopamine system rewards future-oriented mental time travel.

We have long been told a simple story about reward: Dopamine is the "wanting" molecule that drives us toward goals, and opioids are the "liking" molecules that provide the hit of pleasure once we get ...

Some people simply don’t derive pleasure from listening to music. There is nothing wrong with their hearing, and they enjoy plenty of other experiences, but for some strange reason music does ...

Editor’s note: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life’s mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. (CNN) — If you are like many ...

Positive thinking may boost the body’s defenses against disease. Increasing activity in a brain region that controls motivation and expectation, specifically the brain’s reward system, is linked with ...

I was a third-year medical student at Northwestern on my ICU rotation the first time I saw a dopamine drip. The patient was pale and motionless, his blood pressure dropping by the minute despite large ...

Chronic alcohol consumption profoundly alters gene expression in key brain regions involved in reward, impulse control, and decision-making, according to a study led by researchers at the Institute ...

India, March 26 -- Your stomach may say you are full, but your brain may still carve for snacks (1).

A new study is challenging one of neuroscience’s most enduring ideas: that the brain’s reward system exists to make us feel good. Instead, researchers argue that it is built to optimize energy.

This personalized menu of activities is designed to deliver a hit of dopamine to your system. Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter involved in our brain’s reward system. It plays a central role in ...