Wiktionary
ventral tegmental area
n. The ventral tegmentum
Wikipedia
Ventral tegmental area
The ventral tegmental area (VTA), (tegmentum is Latin for covering), also known as the ventral tegmental area of Tsai, or simply ventral tegmentum, is a group of neurons located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain. The VTA is the origin of the dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and is widely implicated in the drug and natural reward circuitry of the brain. It is important in cognition, motivation, orgasm, drug addiction, intense emotions relating to love, and several psychiatric disorders. Neurons in the VTA project to numerous areas of the brain, from the prefrontal cortex to the caudal brainstem and several regions in between.