In keeping with models of choiceless utility, the differential activity in ventral striatum may be a «cleaner» signal of stable preference than can be obtained from an individual behavioral task. (academic.oup.com)
In the brain, they are located in the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus and arcuate nucleus, as well as in ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens. (factsonhgh.com)
(B) Confocal images of ventral tegmental area (VTA) brain slices from dopamine transporter Cre (Slc6a3Cre) mice transduced with Cre - dependent viruses expressing either PLE and mCherry (left) or EGFP (right) on opposite sides of the VTA. (elifesciences.org)