ventral

The proliferation was isolated to a brain region known as the ventral tegmental area, which is involved in reward learning and addiction.

The researchers also found a neuronal abnormality in the developing brains of these offspring, specifically in the ventral hippocampus, a region that has been linked to anxiety and anxious behavior.

The ventral striatum, a small brain region, and associated brain pathways driven by dopamine, play an important role in predicting what will be rewarding or important.

Intriguingly, this modulation was not mirrored in reward centers like the ventral tegmental area, challenging previous assumptions about nicotine's impact.

"The fossils have been known for a long time, but no one had put it together that we could study the ventral adaptations for enrollment using these really great fossils," Losso said.