Prefrontal and Limbic Circuits in Motivated Binge and High-Intensity Drinking in Selected Rat Lines

We propose that binge and high intensity drinking is mediated by the heritable risk factor of diminished prefrontal control over limbic circuitry in the “family history positive” alcohol preferring (P) and high alcohol drinking (HAD) rats.  The objective of this proposal is to identify hypothesized pathologies in specific neural pathways regulating BHID-like consumption that correspond to circuits thought to support reward and relief drinking. This will address a critical need to understand how structural and/or functional differences in the brain lead to the expression of these distinct risk phenotypes in order to develop novel treatment approaches optimized for each.