While only a handful of studies have examined GABA transmission in particular in the NAc shell, other studies have implicated this region in the control of ethanol self-administration. For example, alterations in glutamatergic transmission (Kapasova & Szumlinski 2008) and serotonergic transmission (Jankowska & Kostowski 1995; Hoplight, Sandygren & Neumaier 2006) in the shell region are reported to modulate ethanol intake. In addition, electrolytic lesions of the medial shell in mice reduced ethanol self-administration (Dhaher et al. 2009). Together, these studies point to a role of the medial shell in regulation of ethanol intake.
