WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD Sept. 2, 2011 -- Children
who have a hard time passing up one cookie now with the promise
of more later will probably have just as hard a time resisting
temptation as adults, according to a new study. Researchers
found children who had difficulty delaying gratification as
preschoolers were more likely to seek instant gratification as
adults. They also showed differences in brain activity that may
be linked to self-control issues. "This is the first time we
have located the specific brain areas related to delayed
gratification. This could have major implications in the
treatment of obesity and addictions," says study researcher B.J.
Casey, in a news release. Casey is director of the Sackler
Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell
Medical College in New York City. The study is published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The results
from the new study follow a study of delayed gratification in
children originally conducted in the lat