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Related Experiment Videos

Separate neural systems value immediate and delayed monetary rewards.

Samuel M McClure1, David I Laibson, George Loewenstein

  • 1Department of Psychology and Center for the Study of Brain, Mind, and Behavior, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. smcclure@princeton.edu

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 16, 2004
PubMed
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Humans discount future rewards based on delay. Brain imaging reveals distinct neural systems for immediate versus delayed choices, with fronto-parietal activity linked to preferring longer-term rewards.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Decision-making
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Human decision-making involves choices between immediate and delayed rewards.
  • The value of future rewards is discounted based on the time delay until delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying time discounting.
  • To identify brain regions involved in choosing between immediate and delayed monetary rewards.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to observe brain activity.
  • Subjects made choices between monetary rewards with varying delays to delivery.

Main Results:

  • Two distinct neural systems were identified: one for immediate rewards (limbic system, midbrain dopamine system) and another for all intertemporal choices (lateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Increased relative activity in fronto-parietal regions correlated with choosing delayed rewards.

    • Conclusions:

    • Time discounting involves separable neural systems for processing immediate versus delayed gratification.
    • The balance of activity between limbic and fronto-parietal regions influences choices between immediate and delayed rewards.