Related Experiment Videos
A neural basis for collecting behaviour in humans
Steven W Anderson1, Hanna Damasio, Antonio R Damasio
1Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. steven-anderson@uiowa.edu
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|November 19, 2004
Summary
Abnormal collecting behaviour, often seen in brain damage patients, is linked to mesial frontal cortex dysfunction. This brain region normally modulates our innate tendencies to acquire and keep objects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Collecting behavior is common, but its neural underpinnings in humans are poorly understood.
- Pathological collecting behavior is observed in individuals with specific brain damage patterns.
- The mesial prefrontal cortex is hypothesized to play a role in both normal and abnormal collecting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of collecting behavior.
- To test the hypothesis that mesial prefrontal cortex dysfunction causes abnormal collecting.
- To determine if this brain region guides normal collecting tendencies.
Main Methods:
- Studied 86 participants with focal brain lesions.
- Correlated lesion location with repetitive acquisition and impaired discard behaviors.
- Used high-resolution 3D MRI for lesion analysis and standardized questionnaires for behavior assessment.
- Excluded participants with prior psychiatric or collecting issues.
Main Results:
- Thirteen participants exhibited severe, disruptive pathological collecting behavior.
- No significant differences in executive functions or memory were found between collectors and non-collectors.
- Pathological collectors exclusively had damage to the mesial frontal region (including anterior cingulate); subcortical structures were largely unaffected.
Conclusions:
- Damage to the mesial frontal region disrupts the modulation of subcortically driven acquisition and collection predispositions.
- This disruption leads to pathological collecting behavior, independent of executive function or memory deficits.
- The mesial frontal cortex is crucial for adjusting collecting behaviors to environmental context.