Using a new brain imaging strategy, Duke University scientists have now taken a first step in understanding how to manipulate specific neural circuits in the motivational centers of our brains using thoughts and imagery. This technique is part of a larger approach called 'neurofeedback,' which gives participants a dynamic readout of brain activity, in this case from a brain area critical for motivation. The new study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) instead of EEG, which measures changes in blood oxygen levels, allowing more precisely localized measurements of brain activity. http://www.psypost.org/2016/03/allowing-people-see-brain-activity-might-help-motivate-41456
