Cure for Laziness

Nature reports that researchers have discovered the gene [PDF] that turns primates into workaholics. Like humans, primates procrastinate in tasks when the goals are far off, but work hard to make up for loss time when their goal is closer. The researchers injected DNA into each primate's brains to temporarily switch off a gene in the rhinal cortex -- an area of the brain that is associates visual cues with reward. The gene encodes a protein called a D2 receptor, which allows nerve cells to be more responsive to naturally occuring dopamine. With the gene turned off, the primates were unable to associate their tasks with their long term goal (or reward), and stopped procrastinating -- in fact, no only did they work harder, but they were also prone to less errors along the way. The researchers are hoping that their work will lead to a better understanding, and hopefully better treatments, for people who suffer from depression, as they commonly don't find work rewarding. Don't worry however, injections aren't coming our way soon -- researchers had to inject primates brains daily, in a number of areas, for the duration of the experiment, and such sustained injecting results in brain damage. [The monkeys did not give permission for the injections, and were most likely harmed during this research.]