Ventral tegmentum
Encyclopedia : V : VE : VEN : Ventral tegmentum
Gray's FIG. 712– Transverse section of mid-brain at level of superior colliculi.
The ventral tegmentum or the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (tegmentum, Latin for covering) 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.
The
ventral tegmentum is considered to be part of the
pleasure system, or
reward circuit, one of the major sources of incentive and behavioural motivation. Activities that produce pleasure tend to activate the
ventral tegmentum, and
psychostimulant drugs (such as
cocaine) directly target this area. Hence, it is widely implicated in neurobiological theories of
addiction.
It is also shown to process various types of emotion and security motivation, where it may also play a role in avoidance and fear-conditioning.
See also
External links
| Mesencephalon (midbrain)
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cerebral peduncle: midbrain tegmentum (periaqueductal gray, ventral tegmentum, nucleus raphe dorsalis), pretectum, substantia nigra, red nucleus, pedunculopontine nucleus, medial longitudinal fasciculus, medial lemniscus, rubrospinal tract, lateral lemniscus
tectum: corpora quadrigemina, inferior colliculi, superior colliculi
cerebral aqueduct: oculomotor nucleus, trochlear nucleus, Edinger-Westphal nucleus
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