Figure 2.

(a) The mesolimbic reward pathway connects the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain to the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. (b) Cocaine blocks the dopamine transporter (DAT) thereby preventing synaptic dopamine from being returned to the pre synaptic axon. (From the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA); https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/teaching‐packets/understanding‐drug‐abuse‐addiction/sectioni/4‐reward‐pathway and https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research‐reports/cocaine/how‐doescocaine‐ produce‐its‐effects).