Topic: mesolimbic reward pathway

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are complex neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication and cognitive flexibility. In the search of possible etiopathological mechanisms of ASDs, multiple studies linked aberrant mesolimbic reward pathway to dysfunction in sociability and restricted behaviors. However, the lateral habenula (LHb), representing the anti-reward center of the central nervous system, has been neglected so far. LHb activity encodes aversive responses and inhibits the physiological dynamics of ventral tegmental area (VTA), interfering w