Ventral Pallidum Output Pathways in Context-Induced Reinstatement of Alcohol Seeking.

Ventral pallidum (VP) serves important roles in reward and motivation and is a critical node in the neural circuitry for reinstatement of drug seeking. Despite being a common locus for different forms of reinstatement, fundamental aspects of neural circuitry for these VP contributions to reinstatement of drug seeking remain unknown. Here we used a combination of neuroanatomical tracing and chemogenetic approaches to map the VP output pathways for context-induced reinstatement and reacquisition of alcohol seeking. We show that VP output pathways to the subthalamic nucleus and also to the ventral tegmental area are necessary for these forms of reinstatement.