Core and shell regions of the NAc play different roles in mediating the reinforcing effects of ethanol as well as ethanol seeking behavior. Once operant ethanol consumption is established, ethanol seeking triggered by environmental context cues requires dopamine D1 receptor activation in the core and shell (Chaudhri, Sahuque et al. 2009). However, core is important for cue-induced ethanol-seeking while the shell contributes to the contextual influence on ethanol-seeking (Chaudhri, Sahuque et al. 2010) (Corbit, Fischbach et al. 2016).
