Ventral Tegmentum
The
ventral tegmentum
or the
ventral tegmental area
(VTA) is part of the
midbrain
, lying close to the
substantia nigra
and the
red nucleus
. It is rich in
dopamine
and
serotonin
neurons and is part of two major dopamine
pathways
:
the
mesolimbic pathway
, which connects the VTA to the
nucleus accumbens
the
mesocortical pathway
, which connects the VTA to
cortical
areas in the
frontal lobes
It is considered to be part of the
pleasure
or reward system, one of the major sources of incentive and behavioural motivation. Activities which produce pleasure tend to activate the ventral tegmentum, and drugs (such as
cocaine
) directly target this area. Hence it is widely implicated in neurobiological theories of
addiction
. It is also implicated in theories of
emotion
and security motivation, where it may also play a role in avoidance and fear
conditioning
.
See also
dopamine
mesocortical pathway
mesolimbic pathway
nucleus accumbens
External links
Ventral tegmental system: anatomy and connectivity
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