Areas of the brain thought to be included in this network include medial frontal, the lateral parietal and the posterior cingulate regions of the cortex.
Scans also show that the temporal lobe, which contains the hippocampus, and another brain region called the posterior cingulate use less glucose than a normal brain, suggesting they have shut down.
When they were faced with tossing or keeping their own items, the hoarders' brain responses also differed from that of the other participants: they showed excessive activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region involved with decision-making, particularly in situations involving conflicting information or uncertainty.