Ventral tegmental area neurons in learned appetitive behavior and positive reinforcement
HL Fields, GO Hjelmstad, EB Margolis…�- Annu. Rev�…, 2007 - annualreviews.org
Ventral tegmental area (VTA) neuron firing precedes behaviors elicited by reward-predictive
sensory cues and scales with the magnitude and unpredictability of received rewards. These
patterns are consistent with roles in the performance of learned appetitive behaviors and in
positive reinforcement, respectively. The VTA includes subpopulations of neurons with
different afferent connections, neurotransmitter content, and projection targets. Because the
VTA and substantia nigra pars compacta are the sole sources of striatal and limbic forebrain�…
sensory cues and scales with the magnitude and unpredictability of received rewards. These
patterns are consistent with roles in the performance of learned appetitive behaviors and in
positive reinforcement, respectively. The VTA includes subpopulations of neurons with
different afferent connections, neurotransmitter content, and projection targets. Because the
VTA and substantia nigra pars compacta are the sole sources of striatal and limbic forebrain�…