Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...

Regulation of Food Intake

Regulation of Food Intake

Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...

Self-Regulation

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation, also known as self-control, encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral processes that allow individuals to adjust their internal states and outward actions to align with socially acceptable norms and long-term goals. It plays a fundamental role in adaptive functioning, from resisting impulsive behaviors to persisting through challenging tasks. While its benefits are widely recognized, self-regulation is not limitless. Muraven and Baumeister's theory posits that...

Neural Regulation

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.

Instinctive Drift

Instinctive Drift

Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to their innate behaviors despite repeated reinforcement. Breland and Breland demonstrated this concept in an experiment with a raccoon. The raccoon was trained to pick up two coins and place them in a container in exchange for food. Initially, the raccoon learned to associate the coins with food, making them a conditioned stimulus or a substitute for food. However, over time, the raccoon became less willing to put the coins into the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Tryptamine from wake-active monoaminergic neurons regulates sleep homeostasis.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

Neural representation of action symbols in primate frontal cortex.

Nature·2026

Same author

Chronic stress disrupts hepatic homeostasis and accelerates liver cancer progression through ADRB2 signaling.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Global error signal guides local optimization in mismatch calculation.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Competitive interactions shape mammalian brain network dynamics and computation.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

A hierarchy of time constants and reliable signal propagation in the marmoset cerebral cortex.

Nature communications·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

The neural basis of delayed gratification.

Zilong Gao^1,2, Hanqing Wang³, Chen Lu⁴

¹Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Science Advances

|December 1, 2021

Summary

Mice trained in a delayed gratification task show that steady increases in dopaminergic (DAergic) neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area signal the value of waiting, supporting real-time deliberation in decision-making.

More Related Videos

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Science
Decision-Making

Background:

Delayed gratification is crucial for survival and reproduction.
The neural basis of delayed gratification remains largely unknown.
Previous research relied on human studies and limited animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying delayed gratification in mice.
To explore the role of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area during waiting periods.
To model the observed behaviors using computational approaches.

Main Methods:

Trained mice to perform a water-reward delayed gratification task.
Utilized physiological recording and optical manipulation of neuronal activity.
Developed a reinforcement learning model to interpret experimental data.

Main Results:

Dopaminergic (DAergic) neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area steadily increased during the waiting period.
Optical activation of DAergic neurons prolonged waiting duration; silencing reduced it.
The reinforcement learning model accurately reproduced the experimental findings.

Conclusions:

Steady increases in DAergic activity reflect the perceived value of waiting.
Delayed gratification involves real-time deliberation mediated by DAergic pathways.
This study provides novel insights into the neural underpinnings of self-control.