Making a bad thing worse: adverse effects of stress on drug addiction
J. Clin. Invest. Jessica N. Cleck, et al. 118:454 doi:10.1172/JCI33946 [Go to this article.]

Figure 2
Reward and stress pathways in the brain. The mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway (blue) is composed of dopamine cell bodies in the VTA that project to the NAc. The VTA also projects to parts of the PFC and the amygdala (AMY). Central CRF circuitry (yellow) consists of CRF-containing cell bodies located in the central nucleus of the amygdala, which projects to the BNST. CRF projections from the amygdala also innervate the VTA, thus completing the circuit. The hypothalamic CRF projections are directed to the pituitary gland (PIT) located outside the blood-brain barrier. CRF in the pituitary gland stimulates the endocrine output of the HPA axis (red) including the release of ACTH, which acts on the adrenal gland to stimulate the secretion of cortisol in humans and corticosterone in rodents. A negative feedback system allows for cortisol-mediated regulation of continuous CRF production in the HPA axis.