The<unk>  and its positioning in relation to the other dopaminergic pathways The<unk>  is a collection of dopaminergic (i.e., dopamine-releasing) neurons that project from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the ventral striatum, which includes the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and olfactory tubercle. It is one of the component pathways of the medial forebrain bundle, which is a set of neural pathways that mediate brain stimulation reward. The VTA is located in the midbrain and consists of dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurons. The dopaminergic neurons in this region receive stimuli from both cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus and the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus as well as glutamatergic neurons in other regions such as the prefrontal cortex. The nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle are located in the ventral striatum and are primarily composed of medium spiny neurons. The nucleus accumbens is subdivided into limbic and motor subregions known as the NAcc shell and NAcc core. The medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens receive input from both the dopaminergic neurons of the VTA and the glutamatergic neurons of the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex. When they are activated by these inputs, the medium spiny neurons' projections release GABA onto the ventral pallidum.
Mesolimbic pathway
Tuberoinfundibular pathway
Amygdalofugal pathway
Mesocortical pathway
Hypothalamotegmental tract
Limbic system
Endocannabinoid system
Ciliospinal center