Because of the involvement of the extended amygdala in regulating alcohol drinking, it would be important to determine the effects of adolescent alcohol drinking on gene expression changes within this system. A peri-adolescent binge-like alcohol drinking procedure has been developed, using P rats, that produces blood ethanol levels of approximately 100 mg% after 60 min (Bell et al., 2011). Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the effects of binge-like alcohol drinking by P rats during adolescence on changes in gene expression in the Acb-shell and CeA. The hypothesis to be tested is adolescent alcohol binge drinking will produce changes in the expression of genes associated with neuronal function and synaptic plasticity.
