Formatio reticularis dopamine-producing neurons are located in the mesencephalon/midbrain and form the following groupings:
Cell group A8 = retrorubral field
Cell group A9 = compact part of the substantia nigra
Cell group A10 = area tegmentalis ventralis
Cell group A11 = part of the nucleus raphes linearis
As a rule, the different cell groups receive afferent impulses from the same areas to which they send signals: a distinct round-trip setup!
In addition, dopamine-producing cell accumulations occur in the zona incerta and in the hypothalamus region (groups A12 - A15) and in bulbus olfactorius (group A16).