to induce dependence in rats, Hansson et al. (2018) reported that Oxt mRNA levels were reduced in the NAc following acute alcohol exposure as well as during early withdrawal, but increased after prolonged (3 weeks) abstinence, suggesting dynamic dependence-related neuroadaptation of the OXT system (Hansson et al., 2018). Additionally, after 3 weeks of abstinence, alcohol-dependent rats showed increases in OXT receptor mRNA and protein levels in PFC, striatal, amygdala and hippocampal regions, and a reduction in OXT mRNA and peptide expression in hypothalamic nuclei (Hansson et al., 2018).
