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The mesocortical pathway is shown here in blue, projecting to the prefrontal cortex from the VTA.
The mesocortical pathway is a dopaminergic pathway that connects the ventral tegmentum to the prefrontal cortex. It is one of the four major dopamine pathways in the brain. It is essential to the normal cognitive function of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (part of the frontal lobe), and is thought to be involved in cognitive control, motivation, and emotional response.[1][2]
This pathway may be the brain system that is abnormal or functioning abnormally in psychoses, such as schizophrenia.[3] It is thought to be associated with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which include avolition, alogia and flat affect. This pathway is closely associated with the mesolimbic pathway, which is also known as the mesolimbic reward pathway.
^Malenka EJ, Nestler SE, Hyman RC (2009). "Chapter 13: Higher Cognitive Function and Behavioral Control". Molecular neuropharmacology: a foundation for clinical neuroscience (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Medical. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-07-148127-4. Therapeutic (relatively low) doses of psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate and amphetamine, improve performance on working memory tasks both in individuals with ADHD and in normal subjects. Positron emission tomography (PET) demonstrates that methylphenidate decreases regional cerebral blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex while improving performance of a spatial working memory task. This suggests that cortical networks that normally process spatial working memory become more efficient in response to the drug. Both methylphenidate and amphetamines act by triggering the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, actions mediated via the plasma membrane transporters of these neurotransmitters and via the shared vesicular monoamine transporter (Chapter 6). Based on animal studies with micro-iontophoretic application of selective D1 dopamine receptor agonists (such as the partial agonist SKF38393 or the full agonist SKF81297) and antagonist (such as SCH23390), and clinical evidence in humans with ADHD, it is now believed that dopamine and norepinephrine, but not serotonin, produce the beneficial effects of stimulants on working memory. At abused (relatively high) doses, stimulants can interfere with working memory and cognitive control, as will be discussed below. It is important to recognize, however, that stimulants act not only on working memory function, but also on general levels of arousal and, within the nucleus accumbens, improve the saliency of tasks. Thus, stimulants improve performance on effortful but tedious tasks, probably acting at different sites in the brain through indirect stimulation of dopamine and norepinephrine receptors.
^Bidwell LC, McClernon FJ, Kollins SH (August 2011). "Cognitive enhancers for the treatment of ADHD". Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 99 (2): 262–274. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2011.05.002. PMC 3353150. PMID 21596055.
The mesocorticalpathway is a dopaminergic pathway that connects the ventral tegmentum to the prefrontal cortex. It is one of the four major dopamine pathways...
via the mesolimbic pathway from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens that uses the neurotransmitter dopamine, and the mesocorticalpathway. A number of highly...
been found to be involved in responding to cues related to the reward pathway, enhancing signal detection and sensory attention, regulating homeostasis...
mesolimbic pathway may contribute to the 'positive symptoms' of schizophrenia, whereas problems concerning dopamine function within the mesocorticalpathway may...
and underpinning the motivational behaviors and processes, and the mesocorticalpathway projecting to the prefrontal cortex, underpinning cognitive functions...
activity in the mesolimbic pathway also results in an anhedonic effect, reducing pleasure and motivation. In the mesocorticalpathway to the DLPFC and VMPFC...
via the mesocorticalpathway and another smaller group projects to the nucleus accumbens via the mesolimbic pathway. Together, these two pathways are collectively...
including the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesocorticalpathways. The nuclei that make up these pathways have distinct patterns of expression. Gene expression...
Brodmann area 46 Cognitive control Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex Mesocorticalpathway Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Frontoparietal network Charles A. Nelson;...
destroyed in the liver. Each neurotransmitter has very specific degradation pathways at regulatory points, which may be targeted by the body's regulatory system...
mesencephalon) to the prefrontal cortex (mesocorticalpathway) and to the nucleus accumbens (mesolimbic pathway – "meso" referring to "from the mesencephalon"...
and motivation. For example, a reduction in the activity of the mesocorticalpathway will result in a paucity of affect and loss of motivation and planning...
receptors in the mesocorticalpathway, tuberoinfundibular pathway, and the nigrostriatal pathway. Blocking D2 receptors in these other pathways is thought to...
mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic pathways. There are connecting fibres that run between frontal and limbic structures. A dopaminergic pathway runs from...
area (VTA) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the mesocortical dopaminergic pathway. PR activity during this time period impacts the development...
may also increase dopaminergic activity to optimal levels in the mesocorticalpathways where it is reduced. Aripiprazole displays linear kinetics and has...
to work by blockading dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the mesocortical and mesolimbic pathways, relieving or minimizing such symptoms of schizophrenia as...
enhance cognition in the general population (e.g., direct or indirect mesocortical DRD1 agonists as a class), but only when used at low (therapeutic) concentrations...
Tanaka, Masashi; Sun, Fangmiao; Li, Yulong; Mooney, Richard (2018). "A mesocortical dopamine circuit enables the cultural transmission of vocal behaviour"...
primary efferent fiber projections of the VTA are the mesocortical and the mesolimbic pathways, which correspond to the prefrontal cortex and nucleus...
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