Functional role for suppression of the insular –striatal circuit in modulating interoceptive effects of alcohol

We examined the insular cortex (IC) and its projections to the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) in modulating the interoceptive effects of alcohol in two alcohol discrimination tasks (operant and Pavlovian) in rats. Silencing IC ➔ AcbC projections (using chemogenetics) potentiated the effects of alcohol and produced ‘alcohol‐like’ effects. This increased sensitivity to alcohol was more pronounced than silencing the IC alone. These findings show the critical nature of IC circuitry in an alcohol drug state, which can have implications for drinking/seeking behaviors. CNO, clozapine‐n‐oxide
Source: Addiction Biology - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research