NETTER - Neuroscience Flash Cards

Coronal Sections through the Forebrain:
Head of the Caudate Nucleus and
Nucleus Accumbens
1. Cingulate gyrus
2. Body of the corpus callosum
3. Septum pellucidum
4. Claustrum
5. Insular cortex
6. Lateral fissure
7. Temporal lobe
8. Amygdala
9. Frontal pole of the lateral ventricle
10. Head of the caudate nucleus
11. Anterior limb of the internal capsule
12. Putamen
13. Nucleus accumbens
14. Optic chiasm
Comment: The nucleus accumbens is found at the anterior end
of the striatum in the ventral part of the forebrain anterior to the
anterior limb of the internal capsule. It receives extensive inputs from
limbic structures such as the amygdala, the hippocampal formation,
and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Major dopaminergic
inputs from the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain travel via
the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway to supply the nucleus
accumbens with a dense bed of terminals. The nucleus accumbens
is a key structure for motivational states and addictive behaviors,
driven by dopaminergic neurotransmission. The nucleus accumbens
also is a principal region for brain circuitry associated with reward,
such as joy, pleasure, and gratification. This nucleus has looped
circuitry through the thalamus and cortex that contributes to motor
expression of emotional responses and their accompanying gestures
and behaviors.
Regional Neuroscience See book 13.12B