Basolateral and central amygdala differentially recruit and maintain dorsolateral striatum-dependent cocaine-seeking habits.

ABSTRACT: In the development of addiction, drug seeking becomes habitual and controlled by drug-associated cues, and the neural locus of control over behaviour shifts from the ventral to the dorsolateral striatum. The neural mechanisms underlying this functional transition from recreational drug use to drug-seeking habits are unknown. Here we combined functional disconnections and electrophysiological recordings of the amygdalo-striatal networks in rats trained to seek cocaine to demonstrate that functional shifts within the striatum are driven by transitions from the basolateral (BLA) to the central (CeN) amygdala. Thus, while the recruitment of dorsolateral striatum dopamine-dependent control over cocaine seeking is triggered by the BLA, its long-term maintenance depends instead on the CeN. These

SUBMITTER: Murray JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4682035 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature