A Balanced Mind: A Network Perspective on Mood and Motivation Brain Pathways

© 2015 by Wiley-Blackwell. All rights reserved. The central premise of this chapter is that in order to more effectively treat disorders of mood and motivation, and the need to develop a better understanding of the functional neuroanatomy of mood and motivation pathways. It explores the evidence for the underlying brain mechanisms and principles of pleasure and hedonic processing in the human brain. This evidence comes from human neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and neurosurgery. In particular, the chapter concentrates on the network anatomy and physiology relevant to basal ganglia thalamocortical circuitry primarily regulating mood and motivation as well as the pathophysiologic changes in these networks that lead to their dysregulation and the development of conditions such as depression, eating disorders, and addiction. A better mechanistic understanding of these shifts in brain dynamics has the potential to lead to more targeted interventions.