Involvement of cortical input to the rostromedial tegmental nucleus in aversion to foot shock.

The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) encodes negative reward prediction error (RPE) and plays an important role in guiding behavioral responding to aversive stimuli. Previous research has focused on regulation of RMTg activity by the lateral habenula despite studies revealing RMTg afferents from other regions including the frontal cortex. The current study provides a detailed anatomical and functional analysis of cortical input to the RMTg of male rats.