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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Aug 10.
Published in final edited form as: J Reward Defic Syndr Addict Sci. 2017 Apr 28;3(1):3–13.

Figure 1.

Figure 1

It is an illustration of the Brain Reward Cascade, which involves the release of serotonin at the hypothalamus, where it stimulates enkephalin. The enkephalin then inhibits GABA at the substantia nigra, which, in turn, regulates the amount of dopamine released at the nucleus accumbens (or “reward site”). The dopamine originates in the VTA. Various receptors (including 5HT2a receptors, μ-opiate receptors, GABAA receptors, GABAB receptors, and dopamine receptors) are utilized in the reward cascade. Recent evidence demonstrates the role of the dorsal raphe nuclei in this cascade [85]. It is well known that, under normal conditions, dopamine in the nucleus accumbens through a number of cascading events and neurotransmitter interaction works to maintain a person’s normal drives [86](with permission).