Nucleus Accumbens-to-Ventral Pallidum Pathway Regulates Social Play in Rats
A 2026 juvenile rat study found that inactivating the ventral pallidum or stimulating nucleus accumbens GABA terminals in the ventral pallidum reduced social play behavior in both sexes, pointing to a specific reward-circuit pathway required for normal play expression.1 Research Highlights VP inactivation reduced play: bilateral muscimol infusion into the ventral pallidum reduced juvenile social …