Innate behaviors often viewed as genetically predetermined behaviors. However, in the environment animals often are subjected to external stimuli conflicting with those. Thus, animals subsequently need to change those behaviors to survive and reproduce. In the brain, the reward pathway is well-known for its role to adjust behaviors according to external stimuli, or rewards. However, only recently the relationship between reward pathway and innate behavior begins to be explored. In this review, we summarize the recent data on this subject from rodent studies which suggest an important role of this crosstalk between circuits involved in reward pathway and innate behaviors. We also discuss some of the neurotransmitters and neuromodulators underlying this crosstalk and the related mechanisms.
Keywords: Circuit; Dopamine; Innate behavior; Reward pathway.