I'm not aware of any research specific to this particular phenomenon,
but from what I have kept track on in the fields of neural anatomy,
cognitive science and the progress of imaging and data gathering
technology such as CAT and MRI, it should be possible to confirm or
refute it within about three years.
By the way, FYI: It's not the stress reaction but the centre-seeking
action itself that curiosity can be ascribed to. I know the concept is
kind of difficult to fathom, I didn't get it at first when I was
learning about the same negative-feedback phenomenon in analog circuit
theory (voltage regulators, phase-locked-loops, etc.)
Dan