What is less well understood is how this circuitry may interact with the C-BG-C circuits to alter goal-directed and habitual alcohol seeking and taking. There are several circuit interaction points at which this could occur. For example, the BLA projects to both the NAc and DMS, providing avenues for direct communication between extended amygdala and both the associative and limbic circuits. Indeed, there is evidence that BLA provides important information about positive and negative outcomes that helps to guide goal directed behavior (Hart, Leung et al. 2014) (Maren 2003). It is likely that ethanol effects on BLA neuronal function will impact communication to both striatal subregions, thereby influencing how outcomes control behavior. For example, ethanol-induced alterations in synaptic inhibition within BLA (Silberman, Bajo et al. 2009) (Talani and Lovinger 2015) could reduce transmission of goal-related information to DMS and NAc, thus weakening their control of behavior and by default strengthening the influence of the sensorimotor circuit. Indeed, Packard and coworkers have shown that manipulation of BLA function alters the extent to which DLS controls behavior (Packard and Gabriele 2009). Exploration
