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Bidirectional regulation of response strategy by cortico-accumbens projections
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Bidirectional regulation of response strategy by cortico-accumbens projections

J Barker, K Bryant, A Montiel-Ramos, B Goldwasser and L Chandler
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.), v 60, pp 210-211
01 Jan 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.02.216

Abstract

Addictive behaviors Alcohol use Nucleus accumbens Brain Neurology
Alcohol use disorders are characterized by loss of the ability to control drug seeking and taking. This loss of cognitive control over actions can be modeled by investigating the transition from goal-directed actions to habitual behavior. Our findings suggest that chronic alcohol exposure promotes the development of inflexible habits, suggesting that chronic alcohol use itself may drive addictive behavior. Subregions of the prefrontal cortex have opposing roles in response strategy selection, such that prelimbic PFC is critically involved in the acquisition of goal-directed actions, while infralimbic PFC is necessary for the expression of habitual behavior. Here, we use chemogenetic strategies to demonstrate that habitual behaviors can be rescued via silencing of infralimbic projections to the nucleus accumbens shell after the acquisition of habitual behavior. In contrast, silencing prelimbic-core projections during training promotes the development of habits and reduces goal-directed actions, mimicking chronic ethanol effects on response strategy selection. These findings indicate that specific prefrontal-accumbens projections have opposing effects on response strategy selection, suggesting targets for treatment and further investigation of ethanol-induced dysregulation in prefrontal function.

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Web of Science research areas
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Substance Abuse
Toxicology
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