Understanding Dopamine's Role in Parkinson's Disease
When is the VTA stimulated
So whenever the body has pleasurable stimuli, like food or sex, VTA gets stimulated, and it sends signals to the hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex with the help of dopamine. Some stimuli have a stronger effect on VTA, while other lower. Some drugs may also initiate this pleasure or reward pathway reaction like cocaine and amphetamines.
All these centers work together to increase the feeling of pleasure and reward. For example, if a person liked a specific food or drink, the amygdala would say that it was a good experience, while the hippocampus would try to remember the good experience for future reference. The prefrontal cortex would help us to focus attention on that pleasurable experience, and the nucleus accumbens would make it move towards the pleasurable stimuli.
Thus the reward pathway and dopamine help us to remember the events that are good for our survival, and avoiding those that cause pain or stress.
