Traces of Habits Remain in the Brain; In a Nature Paper, Ann Graybiel of the McGovern Institute at MIT Captures Basal Ganglia Neurons Changing During the Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning of Habits.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Habits help us through the day, eliminating the need to strategize about each tiny step involved in making a frothy latte, driving to work, and other complex routines. Bad habits, though, can have a vice grip on both mind and behavior. Notoriously hard to break, they are devilishly easy to resume, as many reformed smokers discover. A new study in the October 20 issue of Nature by Ann Graybiel and her group at the McGovern Institute at MIT now shows why. Important neural activity patterns in the basal ganglia change when habits are formed, change again when…