Mesocorticolimbic Circuit:

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Mesocorticolimbic circuit or pathway: The mesocorticolimbic circuit is one of the brain’s four dopamine pathways that originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projects to regions like the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It’s primarily acts as the brain’s reward system by releasing dopamine in response to pleasurable stimuli. It’s two main components are the mesocortical pathway (to the PFC) and the mesolimbic pathway (to the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampus). The circuit is also involved in cognitive control, motivation, learning, and emotional processing, as well as addiction (drugs stimulate excessive dopamine release in this pathway), depression, and schizophrenia.