aversion and response inhibition are different forms of impulsivity (see also Evenden 1999; Winstanley et al. 2005; Dalley et al. 2007b; Winstanley 2007), and that future studies should examine ‘the link between genetics and specific subcomponents of impulsivity associated with alcohol consumption’ (Wilhelm et al. 2007). Another question that remains to be answered is whether different aspects of impulsive behavior influence different aspects of alcohol-motivated behavior and consumption. In a recent study, Diergaarde et al. (2008) demonstrated that impulsive action (i.e. response inhibition) and impulsive choice (i.e. delay aversion) predict vulnerability to distinct stages of nicotine-seeking behavior in rats. Impulsive action was associated with a greater motivation for nicotine, whereas impulsive choice was associated with nicotine seeking during abstinence and cue-induced relapse. It remains to be determined whether a similar dissociation exists between different varieties of impulsivity and subdomains of alcohol self-administration.
