Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.07.03.186148v1?rss=1 Authors: Cazares, C., Schreiner, D. C., Gremel, C. M. Abstract: Alcohol dependence results in neurocognitive disorders, including long-lasting deficits in decision-making processes. Neurobiological investigations have identified the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as a key node in inference and outcome-based decision-making, and alcohol dependence alters OFC function. However, which contributing neural computations are disrupted in alcohol dependence is unclear. Here, we combined a well-validated mouse model of alcohol dependence with in vivo extracellular recordings during decision-making. Using an action differentiation task where lever press duration is inferred from an internal associative map and made with regard to outcome value, we identified disruptions to OFC-based computations. Interestingly, alcohol dependence increased OFC activity representing inference-based lever-pressing, but decreased OFC activity during outcome devaluation. This suggests alcohol dependence induces a long-lasting disruption to OFC representations of decision-making such that action representation in enhanced, but OFC contributions to evaluating consequences is diminished. This has important implications for hypotheses regarding compulsive and habitual phenotypes observed in addiction. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info