New Delhi

Researchers from Columbia University in the United States have identified the specific area in the brain where curiosity originates. The finding reveals new light on the intrinsic human drive to learn and adapt to new environments.

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The researchers utilised functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor oxygen levels in various brain regions, a method that reveals how active each area is at a given time. This way, the scientists pinpointed the neural basis of curiosity for the first time.

What does it mean?

The humanity's understanding of where curiosity stems from could provide deeper insights into human behaviour and potentially lead to new therapies for conditions marked by a lack of curiosity, such as chronic depression. 

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"This is really the first time we can link the subjective feeling of curiosity about information to the way your brain represents that information," neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb said in a statement.

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Curiosity area in brain: How scientists pinpointed this?

During their study, the researchers presented 32 participants with texforms, which are images of familiar objects and animals—like hats or frogs—that have been distorted to varying degrees. 

The participants were then asked to rate their confidence and curiosity in identifying the subjects of these images.

By comparing these ratings with fMRI data, the researchers observed significant activity in three key brain regions: the occipitotemporal cortex (associated with vision and object recognition), the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which is involved in assessing value and confidence, and the anterior cingulate cortex (responsible for information gathering).

The vmPFC, in particular, seems to function as a neural bridge. This area links the levels of certainty recorded by the occipitotemporal cortex with the subjective experience of curiosity. Essentially, it acts as a trigger that prompts curiosity when confidence in identifying an image is low. The researchers noted that the less confident participants were about an image's subject, the more curious they became.

"These results illuminate how perceptual input is transformed by successive neural representations to ultimately evoke a feeling of curiosity," the researchers wrote in their published paper.

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The full research findings have been published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Importance of curiosity in humanity's functioning

Curiosity is a fundamental aspect of being human, essential for our survival and ability to learn and absorb new information. It may even play a role in driving biodiversity. "Curiosity has deep biological origins," Gottlieb noted. "What distinguishes human curiosity is that it drives us to explore much more broadly than other animals, and often just because we want to find things out, not because we are seeking a material reward or survival benefit."

(With inputs from agencies)