 [ | E-mail Share Share ]  Contact: David Salisbury Vanderbilt
University  Dopamine impacts your willingness to work  IMAGE:
High levels of dopamine activity, shown in orange and yellow,
were found in the striatum (center) and ventromedial prefrontal
cortex (right) in the brains of "go getters. "  Click here for
more information.  Slacker or go-getter?   Now the veil has been
pushed back by a new brain imaging study that has found an
individual's willingness to work hard to earn money is strongly
influenced by the chemistry in three specific areas of the
brain. In addition to shedding new light on how the brain works,
the research could have important implications for the treatment
of attention-deficit disorder, depression, schizophrenia and
other forms of mental illness characterized by decreased
motivation.  The study was published May 2 in the Journal of
Neuroscience and was performed by a team of Vanderbilt
scientists including post-doctoral student Michael Treadway and
Professor of Psychology David Zald.