A study by a group at Stanford Medicine found that there are structural and functional differences in the mesolimbic reward pathway of children with autism, particularly in the connections between the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area. The mesolimbic reward pathway is the pathway that allows people to find social interactions and other stimuli rewarding. In this pathway, the nucleus accumbens are involved in processing social stimuli and the ventral tegmental area is where dopaminergic neurons, the neurons that respond to dopamine, are concentrated. The abnormalities in this pathway prevent children on the autism spectrum from finding social interactions rewarding, which can contribute to how they interact with others. This means that they are less motivated to interact with other people which can contribute to their deficits in social interaction. Furthermore, these differences contribute to the severity of their symptoms.