Can Disrupting Drinking Memories Disrupt Drinking Relapse?

Cues for a substance like alcohol that have been associated with their reinforcing properties can rekindle craving. To study the mechanisms of the memory of such associations, investigators trained rats to binge drink and then to press a lever to obtain alcohol.

After a period of abstinence, the rats were placed in the setting in which they previously obtained alcohol. This activated the mammalian target of rapamycin complex-1 (mTORC1) in the central amygdala and other limbic sites. Retrieval of alcohol memories required translation of mTORC1-dependent synaptic protein synthesis and synthesis of the synaptic protein Arc in the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex. Intraperitoneally administering the mTORC1 inhibitor r…