Reward system

With reward system, also called the gratification system, we mean a set of brain structures responsible for motivationMotivation: a scientific perspective Motivation is a fundame... More and learningIl termine apprendimento - con i sinonimi imparare, assimila... More through experience. The brain structures that make up the reward system are located within the cortex-basal ganglia-thalamus circuit.

The reward, or gratification, can be any type of stimulus perceived as attractive by the subject and can therefore vary considerably, although some stimuli are defined as “primary incentives,” typically common to all individuals: food, water, physical affectionWhat is affect according to science? Affect represents one o... More, sex.

In conditioning theory, gratification is called a “reinforcer” for the function it performs in relation to a given behavior. When a specific behavior is followed by gratification, the subject is likely to repeat it.

A distinction is made between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, referring to whether the stimulus is inherently rewarding or rewarding due to an induced association.

From an anatomical point of view, the reward system functions as an interface between the midbrain and diencephalon, and it penetrates deeply into the frontal regions where, depending on the strength of the received stimulus, a certain amount of the hormone dopamineA neurotransmitter found in the brain and central nervous sy... More is released, triggering the urgent desire to perceive a stimulus. The dopaminergic system is then continuously activated until an effect occurs.

The reward system is, therefore, the basis for the ability to motivate behavior and guide learning, but it is also the foundation for substance addictions, whose use is perceived as reinforcement. Well-guided education will recognize the reward mechanism as part of our overall functioning, avoiding attributing the value of the process solely to the attainment of the reward in question.