Neurons within the BLA form reciprocal connections with the PFC and the hippocampus (reviewed in Janak and Tye, 2015). Connections with the PFC are sufficient to alter feeding and freezing behavior, as well as reinstatement of fear conditioning. Connections between the BLA and the hippocampus, on the other hand, have been found to affect anxiety-related and social behavior. Neurons in the BNST region of the extended amygdala connect via both glutamatergic and GABAergic projections to DA neurons of the VTA, as well as by GABAergic projections to the lateral hypothalamus [61]. Both of these circuits have been implicated in reward-seeking behavior. Overall, the actions of alcohol in modulating the excitability of neurons in the amygdala and extended amygdala have the potential to affect social, anxious, and reward behavior as well as associative learning.
