The role of the prelimbic cortex to nucleus accumbens core projection in the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking after cocaine-alcohol polysubstance use.

ABSTRACT: Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a chronic, relapsing disorder that affects over one million people in the United States. Rodent models of cocaine use disorder are critical for identifying neuroadaptations driving cocaine-seeking. However, such models rarely consider polysubstance use (PSU), despite the majority of cocaine users reporting use of more than one drug. Use of a rodent model of sequential cocaine and alcohol PSU finds that, unlike after cocaine self-administration alone, reinstatement of cocaine-seeking is not accompanied by glutamate efflux in the nucleus accumbens core (NAc). Here we use chemogenetic strategies to explore whether activity in prelimbic (PL) cortical neurons that project to the NAc is necessary for cue-primed reinstatement of cocaine-seeking in this sequential mod

SUBMITTER: Mesa JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12932815 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature