Preexisting risk-avoidance and enhanced alcohol relief are driven by imbalance of the striatal dopamine receptors in mice.

ABSTRACT: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is frequently comorbid with anxiety disorders, yet whether alcohol abuse precedes or follows the expression of anxiety remains unclear. Rodents offer control over the first drink, an advantage when testing the causal link between anxiety and AUD. Here, we utilized a risk-avoidance task to determine anxiety-like behaviors before and after alcohol exposure. We found that alcohol's anxiolytic efficacy varied among inbred mice and mice with high risk-avoidance showed heightened alcohol relief. While dopamine D1 receptors in the striatum are required for alcohol's relief, their levels alone were not correlated with relief. Rather, the ratio between striatal D1 and D2 receptors was a determinant factor for risk-avoidance and alcohol relief. We show that increasing stri

SUBMITTER: Bocarsly ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11496688 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature