شمس الدین احمدی

The amygdaloid complex is a collection of anatomically and functionally diverse nuclei. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is one of these nuclei that plays an important role in forming associations between affective states and environmental stimuli, such as stimulus-reward associations. The mesolimbic dopamine pathway from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (Nac) mediates the rewarding effects of opiates and neuroanatomical data suggest that the BLA shares reciprocal connections with the VTA and Nac.