Morphological features of the ventral tegmental area: a brainstem structure related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder of the childhood and more interest is raised by clinical investigators nowadays. In spite of being the most studied neurobehavioral condition in child psychiatry, the pathophysiology of ADHD remains elusive. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been implicated in the etiology of ADHD. This part of the midbrain needs to be investigated further due to its complex cytoarchitecture and connectivity in order to gain insight into the neurobiology of ADHD. In this review, we will first briefly explain the history of the VTA researches and then summarize the anatomical features and connectivity of this region.