Effects of binge alcohol drinking on synaptic computing in the nucleus accumbens

这个建议的目标是确定早期过渡的细胞基础 在随意饮酒和在黑暗中饮酒之间。我们建议雇用 各种互补的方法，包括小鼠遗传学，光遗传学， 行为和生物物理的方法来测试的总体假设，计算 皮层和杏仁核输入的突触强度（这种现象也被称为 突触门控）是一种机制，使神经核中的多刺神经元， 整合认知和情感信息，并通过酒精暴露进行调节， 控制消费。我们假设这种细胞机制有助于 青少年酗酒的脆弱性。

The ambition of this proposal is to identify the cellular underpinnings of the early transition between casual to sustain drinking using drinking-in-the-dark model. We propose to employ a variety of complementary approaches, including mouse genetics, optogenetics, behavior and biophysical approaches to test the overarching hypothesis that computing of the synaptic strength of cortical and amygdala inputs (a phenomenon also known as synaptic gating) is a mechanism enabling nucleus accumbens medium spiny neurons to integrate cognitive and emotional information, and is modulated by alcohol exposure to control consumption. We postulate that this cellular mechanism contributes to the vulnerability of adolescents to binge drinking.