Chapter 10, Problem 5RQ3

Summary Introduction

Introduction

Two specific areas of the human brain, the caudate nucleus and the ventral tegmental area (VTA), communicate with each other in a circuit and, together, they represent the centers of motivation, reward and pleasure. These two areas control the release of dopamine which gives the feeling of euphoria experienced when winning at the blackjack table or completing a difficult task. They also become active when engaging in highly pleasurable activities like eating chocolate, ingesting cocaine...and falling in love.