Amygdala protein kinase C epsilon controls alcohol consumption

Alcoholism is a progressive disorder that involves the amygdala. Mice lacking protein kinase C epsilon (PKC epsilon) show reduced ethanol consumption, sensitivity and reward. We therefore investigated whether PKC epsilon signaling in the amygdala is involved in ethanol consumption. Local knockdown of PKC epsilon in the amygdala reduced ethanol consumption and preference in a limited-access paradigm. Further, mice that are heterozygous for the PKC epsilon allele consume less ethanol compared with wild-type mice in this paradigm. These mice have a > 50% reduction in the abundance of PKC epsilon in the amygdala compared with wild-type mice. We conclude that amygdala PKC epsilon is important for ethanol consumption in mice.