Nucleus Accumbens/Ventral Striatum

caudate head, Putamen

the nucleus accumbens is the anterior area of fusion between the ————- and ————

gratification, addiction

The nucleus accumbens is the ——— center and plays an important role in behaviors related to ———-

dopamine, well-being, addictive

The nucleus accumbens is dominated by the neurotransmitter ———- which floods the area in reaction to joy or pleasure. electrical stimulation leads to intense feelings of ———- and lesion can lead to ——— behavior

ventral tegmental nucleus, medial prefrontal cortex

The sense of well being caused in the Nucelus Accumbens/Ventral Striatum is caused by dopamine flooding from dopaminergic neurons in the midbrains ————— which extend here and to the —————-

function, cortical output

Basal Ganglia have a general circuitry between 4 strucutres and the start and end point of the circuite determines the ——— of each specific loop (motor, cognition, limbic emotion and motivation). The over all goal of the loop however is to modulate ————

Cerebral cortex, Striatum, Pallidum, Thalamic nuclei

What are the four general structures of the basal ganglia circuitry (starting with cortex)

dopamine, ventral tegmental nucleus, nucleus accumbens/ventral striatum

In the basal ganglia loop related to the limbic system (emotion and motivation): drive related information can influence decisions regarding movement and behaviors. Typically, when something is pleasurable it increases ————- release from the ——— of the midbrain (mesolimbic fibers) to the ————— and medial prefrontal cortex

nucleus accumbens/ventral striatum, ventral pallidum (extention of globus paladus), dorsal medial nucleus, limbic cortex

The limbic loop in the basal ganglia is used for associating a stimulus with a reward using dopamine flooding

following the 4 structure pattern: ————- (striatum) → ————— (pallidum) → ———— (thalamus) → ————- (cerebral cortex) also from hippocampus and amygdala