Johns Hopkins University scientists find regions involved in decision-making process

Whether you read past the first line in this article or not is your choice, but inside your skull this decision will be accompanied by a buzz of activity in your neurons. But trying to pin down something as intangible as free will to a region of the brain is tricky, with most studies showing response to commands, rather than a choice made by someone's own volition. Now a team of neuroscientists in the US claim to have caught the brain in the act, capturing the activity right at the point it makes a decision – effectively pinpointing free will in the brain. Using functional MRI scans, researchers were able to show which regions showed a surge in activity which caused a boost of oxygen rich blood to the regions. Using functional MRI scans, scientists showed which brain regions had a surge in activity before a free decision is made.