Accumbens coordinated reset stimulation in mice exhibits ameliorating aftereffects on binge alcohol drinking

Abstract

BackgroundAlcohol use disorder (AUD) affects nearly 5% of the world’s adult population. Despite treatment, AUD often manifests with relapse to binge drinking, which has been associated with corticostriatal hypersynchrony involving the nucleus accumbens (NAc). MethodsA modified “Drinking in the Dark” protocol was used to provoke binge-like alcohol drinking. We implemented Coordinated Reset Stimulation (CRS), a computationally designed, spatio-temporal stimulation algorithm, to desynchronize abnormal neuronal activity via a deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode in the NAc of mice exhibiting binge-like alcohol drinking. Integral CRS charge injected would be 2.5% of that of conventional high-frequency DBS. ResultsNAc CRS delivery during only the initial phase of exposure to alcohol and prior to the exposure (but not during) significantly reduced binge-like drinking without interfering with social behavior or locomotor activity. ConclusionsNAc CRS ameliorates binge-like alcohol drinking and preliminarily exhibits sustained aftereffects that are suggestive of an unlearning of hypersynchrony.