Self and Emotion 189“9x6” b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanityself-stimulation can be explained by the activation, directly or indirectly,
of nucleus accumbens-related function.
In a study conducted at Emory University, 27 teenagers were asked
to listen to 120 obscure songs from unsigned artists, while their brains
were scanned with functional MRI for reactions. It was subsequently
observed that the activities in the nucleus accumbens were predictive
of the future sales of the albums in the next three years.^16 It was shown
Fig. 9.3. Schematic drawing of the human brain (right hemisphere facing left) show-
ing the approximate locations of the emotional centers. The insular cortex is out of sight
in this view. Arrows show the dopamine-producing neurons from the midbrain ventral
tegmental area (VTA) projecting to the various emotional centers, collectively called
the “dopaminergic pathways.” Within this system, those fibers extending from VTA to
the nucleus accumbens, called the “mesolimbic pathway,” is particularly important for
motivation. A small circuit (not shown) connecting the nucleus accumbens, ventral pal-
lidum, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex specifically generates the sense of pleasure or
reward. [See Note 20, Kringelbach and Berridge.] The ventromedial prefrontal cortex
also sends glutamate-carrying inhibitory fibers (not shown) to counteract the activities
of the subcortical emotional centers including the nucleus accumbens and the ventral
tegmental area. [See Note 53.]