Brain chemical surge may help break old habits, study finds

By tracking real-time chemical spikes in the brain, researchers have mapped the exact mechanism that allows us to discard old routines and adapt to sudden changes.

Chinese researchers have developed an AI chip capable of reconstructing complex brain structures in real time.(Image for representation: Magnific)

3 min readNew DelhiJun 12, 2026 08:57 AM IST First published on: Jun 11, 2026 at 05:08 PM IST

Neuroscientists have identified a key brain mechanism that helps animals abandon old habits and adopt new ones – findings that could reshape our understanding of addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Parkinson’s disease.

According to a study published in Nature Communications, a team at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), including Dr. Gideon A. Sarpong and Professor Jeffery R. Wickens, discovered that a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine plays a central role in enabling behavioral flexibility.

Behavioural flexibility is the brain’s ability to break habits and adjust decisions when circumstances unexpectedly change. It is essential for survival.

Adapting to changes

The study titled ‘Spatially heterogeneous acetylcholine dynamics in the striatum promote behavioral flexibility’ describes that the researchers trained mice to navigate a virtual maze, allowing them to learn which route led to a reward and develop a reliable strategy for reaching it.

The scientists then switched the reward pathway, leaving the animals to encounter an outcome they had not anticipated. Using two-photon microscopy, the team monitored brain activity in real time as the mice responded to this sudden disappointment.

The results were telling. A significant spike in acetylcholine release was recorded in specific brain regions, and mice that showed the greatest increase were also the most likely to change their choices in subsequent runs.

Also Read | Scientists develop smart bandage that detects infections and releases antibiotics when needed

“Previous work has indicated that cholinergic interneurons, brain cells that release a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, are involved in enabling behavioral flexibility. Here, we were able to use advanced imaging techniques to see neurotransmitter release in real time and delve into the fundamental mechanisms behind behavioral flexibility,” study co-author Professor Wickens said in a statement.

The greater the increase in acetylcholine, the more likely the mice were to adopt new choices, said lead author Dr. Gideon Sarpong, indicating how acetylcholine was involved in breaking old habits.

Suppressing acetylcholine, reducing flexibility

When researchers reduced the animals’ capacity to produce acetylcholine, they showed far less “lose-shift behaviour” – which is switching their choice immediately after experiencing a negative outcome.

Further observations showed the mice need not seem to forget old habits. Their brains preserve memory of previously successful behaviours, should circumstances shift once more.

Also Read | Drinking tomato-soy juice may help reduce inflammation: Study

The study’s authors note that behavioral flexibility is not governed by a single neurotransmitter or cell type alone, with multiple brain regions and chemical systems working in concert to help animals adapt.

Implications of the study

In treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders like Parkinson’s disease or schizophrenia, acetylcholine levels are often altered.

In disorders like addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder, where patients struggle to break entrenched habits and shift behaviour, insights into the mechanics of flexibility could eventually point toward more targeted and effective therapies.

So understanding the chemistry of behavioral flexibility may, in the future, help us develop better treatments.

(This article has been curated by Nityanjali Bulsu, who is an intern with The Indian Express.)