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THE PLEASURE CENTRES

Pleasure-Seeking Researchers have found that the main

Behaviour centres of the brain’s reward circuit are
located along the medial forebrain bundle
Pleasure and Drugs
(MFB). The ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Avoiding Pain and the nucleus accumbens are the two
major centres in this circuit, but it also
includes several others, such as the
septum, the amygdala, the prefrontal
cortex, and certain parts of the thalamus.
Each of these structures appears to
participate in its own way in various
aspects of behavioural response.

Moreover, all of these centres are

interconnected and innervate the
hypothalamus (red arrows), informing it of
the presence of rewards. The lateral and
A Neuroanatomical
ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus
and Psychological
Model of Anxiety are especially involved in this reward
circuit.

“Centres” of Cognitive
Functions in the Brain: A
Misleading Concept The hypothalamus then acts in return not only on the ventral tegmental area, but also on the autonomic and
endocrine functions of the entire body, through the pituitary gland.

Aversive stimuli that provoke fight or flight responses activate the brain’s punishment circuit (the
The same parts of the periventricular system, or PVS), which enables us to cope with unpleasant situations. The PVS was
human brain that are identified by De Molina and Hunsperger in 1962. It includes various brain structures, such as the
involved in positive hypothalamus, the thalamus, and the central grey substance surrounding the aqueduct of Sylvius. Some
reinforcement of secondary centres of this circuit are found in the amygdala and the hippocampus.
behaviour are also
involved in the sensation The punishment circuit functions by means of acetylcholine, which stimulates the secretion of adrenal
of pleasure. cortico-trophic hormone (ACTH). ACTH in turn stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenalin to
prepare the body’s organs for fight or flight.
The radical
behaviourists’ Interestingly, stimulation of the punishment circuit can inhibit the reward circuit, which supports the common
explanation of positive observation that fear and punishment can drive out many pleasures.
reinforcement ignored
the concept of pleasure. The MFB and the PVS are thus two major systems of motivation in human beings. These systems
But these two ideas can encourage people to behave so as to suppress their instinctive impulses and avoid painful experiences.
be applied almost
synonymously to human The situation is quite different for the third circuit, the behavioural inhibition system (BIS). This system
beings, who when asked was identified by Henri Laborit in the early 1970s. It is associated with the septo-hippocampal system, the
why they engage in amygdala, and the basal nuclei. It receives inputs from the prefrontal cortex and transmits its outputs via
reinforced behaviours, the noradrenergic fibres of the locus coeruleus and the serotininergic fibres of the medial Raphe nuclei.
will usually Some authors believe that serotonin plays a major role in this system.
spontaneously cite the
subjective experience of The BIS is activated when both fight and flight seem impossible and the only remaining behavioural option
pleasure that these is to submit passively. The pathological consequences of this behavioural inhibition have provided an
behaviours provide. understanding of how destructive chronic stress can be to people’s health.
The expression
"pleasure centres of the
brain", introduced by
Olds in a 1956 article, is
still a good way to
describe the neuronal
substrates of rewards for
behaviour. As
researchers have
discovered new neural
pathways involved in
pleasure and rewards,
however, the term

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THE BRAIN FROM TOP TO BOTTOM http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/a/a_03/a_03_cr/a_03_...

“centre” which suggests

a single locus, has
gradually been replaced
by the word “system,”
which stresses the
involvement of multiple
groups of neurons.

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