Transverse section of mid-brain at level of superior colliculi. (Tegmentum labeled at center right.)
Details
Part of
Midbrain
Identifiers
Latin
area tegmentalis ventralis
Acronym(s)
VTA
MeSH
D017557
NeuroNames
521
NeuroLex ID
birnlex_1415
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy
[edit on Wikidata]
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) (tegmentum is Latin for covering), also known as the ventral tegmental area of Tsai,[1] or simply ventral tegmentum, is a group of neurons located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain. The VTA is the origin of the dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and other dopamine pathways; it is widely implicated in the drug and natural reward circuitry of the brain. The VTA plays an important role in a number of processes, including reward cognition (motivational salience, associative learning, and positively-valenced emotions) and orgasm,[2] among others, as well as several psychiatric disorders. Neurons in the VTA project to numerous areas of the brain, ranging from the prefrontal cortex to the caudal brainstem and several regions in between.
^Phillipson OT (September 1979). "Afferent projections to the ventral tegmental area of Tsai and interfascicular nucleus: a horseradish peroxidase study in the rat". The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 187 (1): 117–43. doi:10.1002/cne.901870108. PMID 489776. S2CID 38687887.
^Holstege G, Georgiadis JR, Paans AM, Meiners LC, van der Graaf FH, Reinders AA (October 2003). "Brain activation during human male ejaculation". The Journal of Neuroscience. 23 (27): 9185–93. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-27-09185.2003. PMC 6740826. PMID 14534252.
and 29 Related for: Ventral tegmental area information
periaqueductal gray matter, the red nucleus, the substantia nigra, and the ventraltegmentalarea. The tegmentum is the location of several cranial nerve (CN) nuclei...
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), also known as the tail of the ventraltegmentalarea (tVTA), is a GABAergic nucleus which functions as a "master...
pathway connects the ventraltegmentalarea in the midbrain to the ventral striatum of the basal ganglia in the forebrain. The ventral striatum includes...
orexinergic projection neurons). The reward system includes the ventraltegmentalarea, ventral striatum (i.e., the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle)...
relay center for connections from the CA3 of the hippocampus to the ventraltegmentalarea. These connections help link reward signals with the context in...
particular types of actions. The ventral sector of the basal ganglia (containing the ventral striatum and ventraltegmentalarea) operates at the highest level...
nuclei, as well as fibers from brainstem regions, including the ventraltegmentalarea and nigrostriatal pathway. The MFB passes through the lateral hypothalamus...
decisions. The area between the red nuclei, on the ventral side – known as the ventraltegmentalarea – is the largest dopamine-producing area in the brain...
within the brainstem as well; the dopaminergic neurons originate in ventraltegmentalarea (VTA); and the histaminergic pathway originates from neurons in...
pathway, mesolimbic pathway projects from the ventraltegmentalarea to the ventral striatum ( VTA → Ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle)...
floor of the midbrain. Rostromedial tegmental nucleus: A GABAergic nucleus located adjacent to the ventraltegmentalarea. Cross-section of the midbrain at...
substantia nigra pars compacta. Dopaminergic projections from the ventraltegmentalarea (bottom part of the "midbrain" or mesencephalon) to the prefrontal...
projections from the ventraltegmentalarea (VTA). The nucleus accumbens receives dopaminergic inputs from the ventraltegmentalarea, which connect via...
are assigned distinct names: the nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, and ventraltegmentalarea (VTA). There is considerable evidence that this limbic...
the ventral pallidum receives dopaminergic inputs from the ventraltegmentalarea. The ventral pallidum receives GABAergic inputs from the nucleus accumbens...
Additionally, the mesolimbic pathway projects from the ventraltegmentalarea to the nucleus accumbens of the ventral striatum. Another well-known afferent is the...
nucleus of the hypothalamus, medial amygdala ventral premammillary nuclei ventraltegmentalarea central tegmental field mesencephalic central gray peripeduncular...
situated laterally to the A10 group of dopaminergic neurons in the ventraltegmentalarea (VTA) that forms the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. The SNc is easily...
amygdala, the putamen, the ventral striatum, the dorsomedial thalamus, hypothalamus, and the substantia nigra/ventraltegmentalarea. The salience network...
within the brainstem as well; the dopaminergic neurons originate in ventraltegmentalarea (VTA); and the histaminergic pathway originates from neurons in...
cholinergic–dopaminergic reward link in the ventraltegmentalarea. Nicotine can modulate the firing rate of the ventraltegmentalarea neurons. These actions are largely...
histaminergic nucleus, the orexin system also projects onto the ventraltegmentalarea dopamine nucleus, locus ceruleus noradrenergic nucleus, the serotonergic...
ventromedial prefrontal cortex is connected to and receives input from the ventraltegmentalarea, amygdala, the temporal lobe, the olfactory system, and the dorsomedial...
in the Parkinson's disease. The second region is the ventraltegmentalarea (VTA; or simply ventral tegmentum) which is at the hub of the mesolimbic pathway...
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