title: Alcohol sensory processing and its relevance for ingestion.
abstract: Alcohol possesses complex sensory attributes that are first detected by the body via sensory receptors and afferent fibers that promptly transmit signals to brain areas involved in mediating ingestive motivation, reinforcement, and addictive behavior. Given that the chemosensory cues accompanying alcohol consumption are among the most intimate, consistent, and immediate predictors of alcohol's postabsorptive effects, with experience these stimuli also gain powerful associative incentive value to elicit craving and related physiologic changes, maintenance of ongoing alcohol use, and reinstatement of drug seeking after periods of abstinence. Despite the above, preclinical research has traditionally dichotomized alcohol's taste and postingestive influences as independent regulators of motivation to drink. The present review summarizes current evidence regarding alcohol's ability to directly activate peripheral and central oral chemosensory circuits, relevance for intake of the drug, and provides a framework for moving beyond a dissociation between the sensory and postabsorptive effects of alcohol to understand their neurobiological integration and significance for alcohol addiction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92120, USA. Electronic address: sbrasser@mail.sdsu.edu.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brasser
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92120, USA.
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92120, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feretic
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008032:Limbic System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009042:Motivation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012677:Sensation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Addiction; Alcohol; Chemosensory; Ethanol; Reinforcement; Taste; Trigeminal