Mesolimbic Pathway

Summary

The mesolimbic pathway is a dopaminergic pathway in the brain that connects the midbrain to the nucleus accumbens of the limbic system. It functions in the reward pathway mediating motivation and reinforcement of behaviors in response to rewards. It is notably activated in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders to cause the positive symptoms of delusions and hallucinations. As such, this dopamine pathway is the primary target of anti-psychotic drugs, which block dopamine signaling to inhibit this pathway.

Key Points

• Mesolimbic Pathway
  • Dopaminergic Pathway
    • Connects midbrain (ventral tegmentum) to limbic system (nucleus accumbens of striatum)
  • Function
    • Reward pathway
      • regulates motivation for reward, reinforcement and reward-based learning
      • may also play a role in the perception of pleasure
    • May play roles in arousal and memory
  • Lesions
    • Activated in Schizophrenia (and other psychotic disorders)
      • leads to positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations)
      • Primary therapeutic target of antipsychotic drugs
    • Increased activity related to substances may lead to addiction