Finger on the Impulse

Researchers at Otago University, in conjunction with Germany’s Ruhr-University Bochum, have identified individual neurons in the pigeon forebrain that appear to control impulsive decision-making. The findings could prove invaluable to the understanding of such neuropathologies as drug addiction, gambling, frontal lobe syndrome, and attention-deficit disorders, which are all characterized by a limited ability to wait for a large reward.