nucleus accumbens

(noun)

A collection of neurons that forms the main part of the ventral striatum. It is thought to play an important role in reward, pleasure, laughter, addiction, aggression, fear, and the placebo effect.

Related Terms

(noun)

A region in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. This region and the olfactory tubercle collectively form the ventral striatum.

Related Terms

Examples of nucleus accumbens in the following topics:

  • Limbic System

    • It is highly interconnected with the nucleus accumbens, the brain's pleasure center, which plays a role in sexual arousal and the "high" derived from certain recreational drugs.

  • The Role of the Basal Ganglia in Movement

    • A different movement disorder, called hemiballismus, may result from damage restricted to the subthalamic nucleus.
    • The role in motivation of the limbic part of the basal ganglia—the nucleus accumbens (NA), ventral pallidum, and ventral tegmental area (VTA)—is particularly well established.
    • The inputs from the cortex and thalamus to the striatum and subthalamic nucleus are glutamatergic, but the outputs from the striatum, pallidum, and substantia nigra pars reticulata all use GABA.
    • Dopamine is used by the projection from the substantia nigra pars compacta to the dorsal striatum and also in the analogous projection from the ventral tegmental area to the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens).

  • Clusters of Neuronal Cell Bodies

    • A nucleus can either by a relatively compact collection of neurons or a distinctly identifiable group of neurons spread over a large area.
    • In neuroanatomy, a nucleus is a brain structure consisting of a relatively compact cluster of neurons.
    • In anatomical sections, a nucleus shows up as a region of gray matter, often bordered by white matter.
    • In addition, nucleus can refer to an identifiable distinct group of neurons that can spread over an extended area.
    • For example, the reticular nucleus of the thalamus is a thin layer of inhibitory neurons that surround the thalamus.

  • Pons

    • Within the pons is the pneumotaxic center, a nucleus that regulates the change from inspiration to expiration.
    • The alar plate produces sensory neuroblasts, which will give rise to the solitary nucleus and its special visceral afferent column, the cochlear and vestibular nuclei (which form the special somatic afferent fibers of the vestibulocochlear nerve), the spinal and principal trigeminal nerve nuclei (which form the general somatic afferent column of the trigeminal nerve), and the pontine nuclei, which is involved in motor activity.
    • Basal plate neuroblasts give rise to the abducens nucleus (forms the general somatic efferent fibers), the facial and motor trigeminal nuclei (form the special visceral efferent column), and the superior salivatory nucleus, which forms the general visceral efferent fibers of the facial nerve.
    • The chief or pontine nucleus of the trigeminal nerve sensory nucleus (V)- mid-pons

  • Trochlear (IV) Nerve

    • The nucleus of the trochlear nerve is located in the caudal mesencephalon beneath the cerebral aqueduct.
    • It is immediately below the nucleus of the oculomotor nerve (III) in the rostral mesencephalon.
    • The trochlear nucleus is unique in that its axons run dorsally and cross the midline before emerging from the brainstem—so a lesion of the trochlear nucleus affects the contralateral eye.
    • A peripheral lesion is damage to the bundle of nerves, in contrast to a central lesion, which is damage to the trochlear nucleus.

  • Cartilaginous Joints: Symphyses

    • The discs consist of an outer annulus fibrosus that surrounds the inner nucleus pulposus.
    • The annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus distribute pressure evenly across the disc.
    • The nucleus pulposus contains loose fibers suspended in a mucoprotein gel with the consistency of jelly.
    • The nucleus of the disc acts as a shock absorber, absorbing the impact of the body's daily activities and keeping the two vertebrae separated.
    • The disc can be likened to a jelly doughnut with the annulus fibrosis as the dough and the nucleus pulposis as the jelly.

  • Direct Gene Activation and the Second-Messenger System

    • Located within the cytosol or nucleus nuclear receptors are the target of steroid and thyroid hormones which are able to pass through the cell membrane.
    • Upon binding to a hormone the receptor and hormone translocate into the nucleus, and bind to specific sequences of DNA known as hormone response elements (HREs).
    • Type II receptors are retained in the nucleus .
    • For lipophobic hormones which cannot pass the cellular membrane activity is mediated and amplified within a cell by the action of second messenger mechanisms (molecules which relay signals from receptors on the cell surface to target molecules inside the cell in the cytoplasm or nucleus).
    • Hormone binding to the NR triggers translocation to the nucleus, where the NR binds to a specific sequence of DNA known as a hormone response element (HRE).

  • Thalamus

    • In particular, every sensory system (with the exception of the olfactory system) has a thalamic nucleus that receives sensory signals and sends them to the associated primary cortical area.
    • For the visual system, for example, inputs from the retina are sent to the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, which in turn projects to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe.
    • Similarly, the medial geniculate nucleus acts as a key auditory relay between the inferior colliculus of the midbrain and the primary auditory cortex.
    • The ventral posterior nucleus is a key somatosensory relay, which sends touch and proprioceptive information to the primary somatosensory cortex.

  • Vagus (X) Nerve

    • The dorsal nucleus of vagus nerve: Sends parasympathetic output to the viscera, especially the intestines.
    • The nucleus ambiguus: Sends parasympathetic output to the heart (slowing it down).
    • The solitary nucleus: Receives afferent taste information and primary afferents from visceral organs.
    • The spinal trigeminal nucleus: Receives information about deep/crude touch, pain, and temperature of the outer ear, the dura of the posterior cranial fossa, and the mucosa of the larynx.

  • Medulla Oblongata

    • A stroke can injure the pyramidal tract, medial lemniscus, and the hypoglossal nucleus.
    • The region between the anterolateral and posterolateral sulcus in the upper part of the medulla is marked by a swelling known as the olivary body, caused by a large mass of gray matter known as the inferior olivary nucleus.
    • They are caused by masses of gray matter known as the nucleus gracilis and the nucleus cuneatus.
    • It is caused by an underlying collection of gray matter known as the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve.
    • The gray matter of this nucleus is covered by a layer of nerve fibers that form the spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve.