A large number of preclinical studies have investigated the effect of OXT on various alcohol/drug-induced behaviors throughout the phases of addiction pathology (Lee et al., 2016, Lee and Weerts, 2016, Leong et al., 2018). During the early stage of addiction, alcohol/drug use is motivated primarily by the acute reinforcing effects (“positive”) of a substance, mediated by mesocortiolimbic dopamine systems (Koob, 2013a, Koob and Le Moal, 2001). All addictive drugs have been shown to directly or indirectly active dopaminergic neurons originating in the VTA. These projections converge on targets in the limbic forebrain, including the NAc which appears to be the primary region assigning importance to the drug experience (Koob and Volkow, 2010, Wise, 1998). Activation of dopamine systems by alcohol or drugs of abuse sensitizes the reward system and attaches incentive salience to both the substance and drug-related stimuli to drive goal-directed (impulsive) behavior (Uhart and Wand, 2009). The transition from controlled to compulsive drug taking has been associated with a shift in the involvement of NAc to the dorsal striatum that is associated with habit formation (Everitt and Robbins, 2013, Volkow and Morales, 2015).
