Social isolation recruits amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex projections to escalate alcohol drinking in male mice.

Social isolation enhances alcohol drinking in male mice by increasing activity in the amygdala-prefrontal cortex pathway, with a 2-fold escalation observed.

• Why it matters: Understanding how social isolation influences alcohol misuse is crucial because it contributes to addiction vulnerability, yet the neural circuits involved are not fully known.
• What they did: The study used electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and optogenetics to examine BLA-mPFC neurons in male and female mice, focusing on how isolation alters their activity and drinking behavior.
• The result: Activation of the BLA-mPFC pathway increased alcohol intake, while inhibition reduced it in isolated males, revealing a neural circuit that mediates social isolation-induced escalation in alcohol consumption.