Histological analyses of reinforcement circuitry

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Our major aim of this study is to determine detailed neural connections from the ventral striatum to the rest of the brain. Behavioral studies indicate that the medial portion of the ventral striatum, which includes the medial accumbens shell and medial olfactory tubercle, is more responsible for primary reinforcing effects of psychomotor stimulants than the lateral ventral striatum, which includes the accumbens core, ventral shell, and lateral tubercle. The anterograde tracer PHAL was injected into subregions of the ventral striatum, and the expression of anterogradely labeled neurons were characterized. This study is still ongoing. Our analysis begins to indicate that projections of the olfactory tubercle are largely confined to the ventral pallidum with mediolateral topography.