Largely garnered from studies in laboratory animals, the ventral pallidum (VP) is recognized as an integrator of sensory, emotional, and cognitive information with appropriate motoric responses. These functional complexities are reflected in behaviors associated with pain experiences, reward-motivated function, stress, social interaction and affiliation. With the increased resolution of modern-day human brain imaging technology, preclinical studies are being substantiated, and the role of the VP in the human emotional repertoire and psychiatric disorders is being clarified.

Several clinical reports point to VP involvement in disorders of motivation. For example, single-photon emission computed tomography of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients with pathological gambling show enhanced resting state activity (regional cerebral blood flow) in the VP of these individuals compared with non-gambling PD patients (Cilia et al, 2008).

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