The development of alcohol-use disorders is thought to involve a transition from casual alcohol use to uncontrolled alcohol-seeking behavior. This review will highlight evidence suggesting that the shift toward inflexible alcohol seeking that occurs across the development of addiction consists, in part, of a progression from goal-directed to habitual behaviors. This shift in "response strategy" is thought to be largely regulated by corticostriatal network activity. Indeed, specific neuroanatomical substrates within the prefrontal cortex and the striatum have been identified as playing opposing roles in the expression of actions and habits. A majority of the research on the neurobiology of habitual behavior has focused on non-drug reward seeking. Here, we will highlight recent research identifying corticostriatal structures that regulate the expression of habitual alcohol seeking and a comparison will be made when possible to findings for non-drug rewards.
Keywords: Alcohol; Dorsal striatum; Habit; Nucleus accumbens; Orbitofrontal cortex; Prefrontal cortex.
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