Advances in behavioral animal models of alcohol use disorder

Koral Goltseker, Frederic W. Hopf, Segev Barak*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a multifaceted neuropsychiatric disease that combines behavioral, psychosocial, and neurobiological aspects. Over the previous decade, animal models have advanced in modeling the major psychological constructs that characterize AUD. These advances pave the road for more sophisticated behavioral models that capture addiction-related aspects, such as alcohol craving, compulsive seeking and intake, dependence, and relapse. In this review, we survey the recent progress in behavioral animal modeling of five aspects of AUD: alcohol consumption, dependence, and seeking; compulsivity in alcohol intake despite adverse outcomes; vulnerability and resilience factors in alcohol addiction; relapse despite treatment; and relapse prevention by manipulating alcohol-associated memory reconsolidation. These advances represent a general attempt to grasp the complexity and multidimensional nature of AUD, and to focus on behavioral characteristics that better reflect and model this disorder.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)73-82
Number of pages10
JournalAlcohol
Volume74
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2019

Funding

FundersFunder number
Israel Anti-Drug Authority
National Institutes of HealthAA024109
Israel Science Foundation1916-13, 968-13

    Keywords

    • Addiction
    • Alcohol
    • Animal models
    • Behavior
    • Compulsivity
    • Individual differences
    • Learning
    • Memory
    • Relapse

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