The VP is a core component of the reward system which forms part of the limbic loop of the basal ganglia,[1] a pathway involved in the regulation of motivational salience, behavior, and emotions.
[1] The ventral pallidum lies within the basal ganglia, a group of subcortical nuclei.
Along with the external globus pallidus, it is separated from other basal ganglia nuclei by the anterior commissure.
The limbic loop is a functional pathway of the basal ganglia, in which the ventral pallidum is involved.
It (and the internal globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata) receives input from the temporal lobes, and the hippocampus via the ventral striatum.