The cytoarchitectonic and TH-immunohistochemical characterization of the dopamine cell groups in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area and retrorubral field in a bat (Artibeus planirostris).

The dopamine (DA) neurons of the retrorubral field (RRF - A8), the substantia nigra (SN - A9), and the ventral tegmental area (VTA - A10) have been implicated in motor regulation, reward, aversion, cognition, and several neuropsychiatric disorders. A series of studies have identified subdivisions of these cell groups in rodents, but these cell groups have not been well described in bats. An understanding of the motor system organization in bats would provide a context for comparing motor systems across rodent, primate, and bat phylogenies.