Neuroanatomy of Dopamine: Reward and Addiction

Abnormalities of the physiological reward system are believed to play a major part in many serious psychiatric disorders, such as substance abuse, pathological gambling, and major depression. Motivation that involves liking, wanting, craving, and learning about pleasurable events and behavior is heavily influenced by the circuitry of the dopamine reward system, which plays a major role in both normal reward behavior and pathological behavior and addiction. In this Windows to the Brain article, the authors elucidate the mechanisms of this system.