Aberrant choice behavior in alcoholism

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 360; no. 6395; pp. 1298 - 1299
• Main Author: Spanagel, Rainer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 22-06-2018
• Subjects: Alcohol use; Alcoholism; Alcohols; Dependence; Drinking behavior; Driving; Drug abuse; Drug dependence; Drunkenness; Human behavior; Reinforcement
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aau0668

Impaired neurotransmitter clearance in the amygdala is implicated in alcoholism
More than 2 billion people worldwide regularly drink alcohol. Alcohol is a component cause of more than 200 diseases and causes ∼3.3 million deaths per year globally (
1
). The major disease burden comes from harmful alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence. Not everyone who regularly consumes alcohol becomes dependent: ∼15% become engaged in harmful and compulsive alcohol drinking (
2
). Patients suffering from alcohol dependence no longer have the freedom to choose between alternative rewards because alcohol drinking dictates what should be done next, namely, shaping activities for the next drink. On page 1321 of this issue, Augier
et al.
(
3
) demonstrate that aberrant choice behavior—that is, choosing alcohol over an alternative reward—is a key driver for the transition from controlled to compulsive alcohol use. They also provide a mechanistic understanding of this aberrant choice behavior that could lead to new treatment opportunities.