Several studies have found that P rats display persistent alcohol-seeking behavior in the presence of cues previously associated with alcohol access/consumption compared to other strains (Ciccocioppo et al., 2001; Czachowski and Samson, 2002; Linsenbardt and Lapish, 2015). This suggests that alcohol-associated stimuli retain their motivational properties in P rats when alcohol is not available. Consistent with this hypothesis, the only comparison where P rats exhibited stronger encoding than Wistars to cues preceding fluid availability was during water sessions at the neural population level (Fig. 6A). This observation may reflect the conflict-driven recruitment of mPFC in response to the violation of the previously acquired association between trial-associated stimuli and alcohol experience. Alternatively, enhanced stimuli-encoding during water sessions may reflect the “cached” value of alcohol-associated cues based on prior experiences with alcohol/stimuli rather than their current value (Daw et al., 2005; Doya, 1999; Rangel et al., 2008; Redish et al., 2008; Dezfouli and Balleine, 2013). Consistent with this, an enhanced BOLD response to alcohol associated stimuli in those with increased familial risk for an AUD versus those not at risk has only
