J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1990; 2:123-144
Copyright © 1990 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Basal ganglia/limbic striatal and thalamocortical involvement in craving and loss of control in alcoholism
JG Modell, JM Mountz and TP Beresford
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Alcohol Research Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0116.
The authors explore the possible role of basal ganglia/limbic striatal and
thalamocortical circuits in craving and loss of control in alcohol abuse
and dependence. Alcoholics may suffer from a defect in the neuronal systems
within basal ganglia/limbic striatal and thalamocortical neuronal circuits,
especially within the striatoaccumbal-ventral pallidal portion of this
circuit or its dopaminergic nigrotegmental modulation. Alcoholic craving
may result from a neurophysiologically driven obsession resulting from
overactivity within the fronto-thalamic neuronal loop, and loss of control
of alcohol consumption may be a neurophysiologically driven compulsion
resulting from further impairment of the basal ganglia/limbic striatal
portion of this circuit caused by the acute dopaminergic effects of
intoxication.
