Search
-
- News from the Institutes
Two Brain Areas Compete for Control
The locus coeruleus and the ventral tegmental area compete for control over the formation of memory content
14.03.2025
-
- Glossary
Ventral tegmental area
Located in the midbrain, the uppermost section of the brain stem, is the ventral tegmental area (VTA) – a central component of the reward system. The area itself is not particularly large, but its influence is immense: the neurons of the VTA send their axons to the nucleus accumbens and widely into the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where they release the neuromodulator dopamine. In this way, they enhance learning processes, but can also contribute to the development of addictions.
-
- Page
Glossar
15.03.2017
-
- Page
Home
24.02.2017
-
- Grundlagen
- Anatomy
The Septum
The core areas of the septum are located at the interface between the hypothalamus and hippocampus.
09.10.2025
-
- Grundlagen
- Anatomy
The Epithalamus
Probably not the seat of the soul after all: the pineal gland in the epithalamus.
09.10.2025
-
- Glossary
Nucleus accumbens
The nucleus accumbens is a nucleus in the basal ganglia that receives dopaminergic (dopamine-responsive) inputs from the ventral tegmental area. It is associated with reward and attention, but also with addiction. In pain processing, it is involved in motivational aspects of pain (reward, pain reduction) and in the effect of placebos.
-
- Page
Aktuell
20.03.2017
-
- Grundlagen
- Communication in the Brain
Neurotransmitters: Messenger Molecules in the Brain
“Happy hormone” & Co.: Without neurotransmitters, nerve cells would not be able to communicate.
05.08.2025
