In this talk we will discuss the following topics:
1. Difference between reward and reinforcement behavior.
2. Role of dopamine release for reward and the nuanced effects of opioids.
3. Mesolimbic dopamine pathway.
4. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) and its connections to nucleus accumbens and other neuronal tissues.
5. Review of a study discussing the role of dopamine under opioid influence.
6. Locations of opioid receptors in the mesolimbic pathway.
7. Neuronal circuitry for rewarding behavior and the effect of opioids on this circuit.
8. Neuronal circuitry for reinforcement behavior and the effect of opioids on this circuit.
9. Role of pain in reinforcement behavior.

Mood Alterations and Rewarding Properties

Brunton, Laurence; Knollman, Bjorn; Hilal-Dandan, Randa. Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 13th Edition (Goodman and Gilman"S the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics) (p. 1376). McGraw Hill LLC. Kindle Edition.

Ventral pallidum cellular and pathway specificity in drug-seeking - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763421003894

Ventral Pallidum - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/ventral-pallidum

Mesolimbic dopamine signaling in acute and chronic pain: imp...: PAIN
https://journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/2016/06000/mesolimbic_dopamine_signaling_in_acute_and_chronic.4.aspx#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20the%20ability,reduced%20responsiveness%20to%20appetitive%20stimuli.

Mesolimbic pathway - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesolimbic_pathway

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/josnusd/59/2/59_16-0874/_pdf#:~:text=Opioids%20are%20thought%20to%20enhance,in%20the%20ventral%20tegmental%20area.