Mesocortical pathway

The mesocortical pathway is a neural pathway that connects the ventral tegmentum to the cortex, particularly the frontal lobes. It is one of the four major dopamine pathways in the brain.

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It is essential to the normal cognitive function of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (part of the frontal lobe), and is thought to be involved in motivation and emotional response.

This pathway is thought to be associated with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which include avolition, alogia and flat affect (lack of emotional response).

This pathway is closely associated with the mesolimbic pathway, also known as the reward pathway.

Other major dopamine pathways include:

• mesolimbic pathway
• nigrostriatal pathway
• tuberoinfundibular pathway

See also

• dopamine
• schizophrenia