Optogenetic induction of orbitostriatal long-term potentiation in the dorsomedial striatum elicits a persistent reduction of alcohol-seeking behavior in rats.

Uncontrolled drug-seeking and -taking behaviors are generally driven by maladaptive corticostriatal synaptic plasticity. The orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and its projections to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) have been extensively implicated in drug-seeking and relapse behaviors. The influence of the synaptic plasticity of OFC projections to the DMS (OFC→DMS) on drug-seeking and -taking behaviors has not been fully characterized.

Binaural Interference: Quo Vadis?

The reality of the phenomenon of binaural interference with speech recognition has been debated for two decades. Research has taken one of two avenues; group studies or case reports. In group studies, a sample of the elderly population is tested on speech recognition under three conditions; binaural, monaural right and monaural left.