University at Buffalo, self-control abilities, ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain structure, gratification, impulsive reactions, brain mechanisms, neurons
Delayed gratification, the ability to relinquish immediate gratification for more significant future benefits serves as the foundation of self-control and is predictive of life outcomes of academic achievement, good physical health, and social competence. Cognitive neuroscientists are turning their focus to the elucidation of the neural mechanisms of this remarkable ability. This literature review will thus demonstrate the main take-home messages of three prominent studies on the connection between behavior and neuroscience of delayed gratification.
[...] (2011) demonstrated the differentiated neural patterns connecting successful versus unsuccessful delay gratification. Moreover, the participants who effectively delayed gratification presented more functional connectivity between the vlPFC and vmPFC, implying that the cognitive control processes and valuation processes are being executed efficiently. In contrast, those who could not resist immediate gratification would experience more significant activity in the ventral striatum, a brain region that is associated with reward perception and motivation. This variation was due to the activation in the ventral striatum. [...]
[...] Moreover, the review discussed the possible benefits of specific treatments like neuro-feedback and cognitive-behavioral therapy in reference to the deficits that include neuro-cognition, delay of gratification, and response inhibition among ADHD patients. The review emphasized the crucial role of the frontostriatal loops in preserving the ability for immediate gratification suppression and delaying impulsive responses. As described by Kaur et al. (2021), the pathways consist of the dlPFC, ACC, and vmPFC parts of the prefrontal cortex as well as the striatum. In ADHD, similar to what Kaur et al. [...]
[...] H., Gotlib, I. H., Ayduk, O., Franklin, N. T., Askren, M. K & Shoda, Y. (2011). Behavioral and neural correlates of delay of gratification 40 years later. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(36), 14998-15003. Kaur, S., Singh, K., & Sil, A. (2021). Association of affected neurocircuitry with a deficit of response inhibition and delayed gratification in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A narrative review. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, p 102739. [...]
[...] In the near future, efforts should be made to investigate the fundamental mechanisms through which the brain structure and function influence the behavior of delayed gratification. References Achterberg, M., Peper, J. S., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C., Mandl, R. C., & Crone, E. A. (2016). Behavioral/cognitive frontostriatal white matter integrity predicts the development of delay of gratification: A longitudinal study. Journal of Neuroscience, 1954-1961. Casey, B. J., Somerville, L. [...]
[...] The authors have indicated that the function of the frontostriatal circuit is highly significant not only in ADHD but also in other similar conditions, where deficits in delayed gratification and response inhibition might be expected. The abnormalities of these circuits structurally and functionally might explain the difficulty of self-regulation in ADHD patients. Putting these studies together, one can see the central role of finding the neural mechanisms of delayed gratification and the way it modulates the development of self-control and impulse skills. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
