section_path: Mechanisms/Reward system/Mesocorticolimbic pathway
section_name: Mesocorticolimbic pathway
paragraph_text: Mesocorticolimbic pathway
  
  Understanding the pathways in which drugs act and how drugs can alter those pathways is key when examining the biological basis of drug addiction. The reward pathway, known as the mesolimbic pathway, or its extension, the mesocorticolimbic pathway, is characterized by the interaction of several areas of the brain.
  
  Other brain structures that are involved in addiction include: