Chronic alcohol exposure disrupts top-down control over basal ganglia action selection to produce habits.

ABSTRACT: Addiction involves a predominance of habitual control mediated through action selection processes in dorsal striatum. Research has largely focused on neural mechanisms mediating a proposed progression from ventral to dorsal lateral striatal control in addiction. However, over reliance on habit striatal processes may also arise from reduced cortical input to striatum, thereby disrupting executive control over action selection. Here, we identify novel mechanisms through which chronic intermittent ethanol exposure and withdrawal (CIE) disrupts top-down control over goal-directed action selection processes to produce habits. We find CIE results in decreased excitability of orbital frontal cortex (OFC) excitatory circuits supporting goal-directed control, and, strikingly, selectively reduces OF

SUBMITTER: Renteria R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5768774 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature