Neural maps used to locate rewards may be disrupted in dementia and heightened in addiction

Neural maps used to locate rewards may be disrupted in dementia and heightened in addiction

Imagine you're walking to work when the unspeakable occurs: Your favorite coffee shop—where you stop every day—is closed. You groggily navigate to a newly opened coffee shop a couple blocks away, which, you're pleased to discover, actually makes quite a good morning brew. Soon, you find yourself looking forward to stopping at the new location instead of the old one.

Locations of treats are stored in specialized neural maps - Scientific Inquirer

Imagine you’re walking to work when the unspeakable occurs: Your favorite coffee shop — where you stop every day — is closed. You groggily navigate to a newly opened coffee shop a couple blocks away, which, you’re pleased to discover, actually makes quite a good morning brew. Soon, you find yourself looking forward to stopping at the new location instead of the old one. That switch probably alters more than just your morning routine. Each time y…