Addictive drugs, as well as ketamine/xylazine, change the connectivity to ventral tegmental area dopamine cells, which may be related to cellular activity.

The neural network in the primary motor cortex transitions from a "beginner" state (light blue, left) to an "expert" configuration (dark blue, right). Dopamine release from the ventral tegmental area ...

A small region of the brain, known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), plays a key role in how we process rewards. It produces dopamine, a neuromodulator that helps predict future rewards based on ...

Ever heard of getting a "dopamine hit" from something you enjoy? These exciting moments also appear to influence memory, ...

Dangers come but dangers also go and when they do, the brain has an "all-clear" signal that teaches it to extinguish its fear. A new study in mice by MIT neuroscientists shows that the signal is the ...

What is dopamine? What does it do and how does it do it? These questions have caused controversy in neuroscience for decades. A new study from the U.K. may have some of the answers. The word dopamine ...