Neurobiology of alcohol seeking behavior

Alcohol addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse consequences. A main challenge of treatment prevent relapse, which occurs in more than >50% newly abstinent patients with disorder within 3 months. In people suffering from addiction, stressful events, drug-associated cues and contexts, re-exposure small amount trigger chain behaviors that frequently culminates relapse. this review, we first present the preclinical models were developed for study seeking behavior, namely reinstatement model relapse compulsive under chained schedule reinforcement. We then provide overview neurobiological findings obtained using these animal models, focusing on role opioids systems, corticotropin-release hormone neurokinins, followed dopaminergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic neurotransmissions behavior.