Evidence for a Long-Lasting Compulsive Alcohol Seeking Phenotype in Rats.

ABSTRACT: Excessive drinking to intoxication is the major behavioral characteristic of those addicted to alcohol but it is not the only one. Indeed, individuals addicted to alcohol also crave alcoholic beverages and spend time and put much effort into compulsively seeking alcohol, before eventually drinking large amounts. Unlike this excessive drinking, for which treatments exist, compulsive alcohol seeking is therefore another key feature of the persistence of alcohol addiction since it leads to relapse and for which there are few effective treatments. Here we provide novel evidence for the existence in rats of an individual vulnerability to switch from controlled to compulsive, punishment-resistant alcohol seeking. Alcohol-preferring rats given access to alcohol under an intermittent 2-bottle choi

SUBMITTER: Giuliano C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5809777 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature