Optogenetic induction of orbitostriatal long-term potentiation in the dorsomedial striatum elicits a persistent reduction of alcohol-seeking behavior in rats.

ABSTRACT: Uncontrolled drug-seeking and -taking behaviors are generally driven by maladaptive corticostriatal synaptic plasticity. The orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and its projections to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) have been extensively implicated in drug-seeking and relapse behaviors. The influence of the synaptic plasticity of OFC projections to the DMS (OFC→DMS) on drug-seeking and -taking behaviors has not been fully characterized. To investigate this, we trained rats to self-administer 20% alcohol and then delivered an in vivo optogenetic protocol designed to induce long-term potentiation (LTP) selectively at OFC→DMS synapses. We selected LTP induction because we found that voluntary alcohol self-administration suppressed OFC→DMS transmission and LTP may normalize this transmission, conseque

SUBMITTER: Cheng Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8217987 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature