Poly(I:C) alters mGluR2/3 expression and it’s behavioral effects are mitigated by mGluR2/3 activation. LY379268 (3 mg/kg) significantly decreased alcohol lever responses in poly(I:C) treated rats suggesting that mGluR2/3 activation counteracts the effects of poly(I:C). Alcohol intake (g/kg) is denoted on each bar (A). Total activity (beam breaks) was not affected by poly(I:C) or LY379268 administration (B). mGluR2/3-specific staining was verified with western blots, the mGluR2/3 antibody was shown to label around 97kDa and 210kDa bands in striatal tissue, corresponding to the monomer and dimer of mGluR2/3, respectively (C). 18 days post- poly(I:C) treatment, expression of mGluR2/3 is increased in nucleus accumbens core (AcbC), but not the shell (AcbSH) or insular cortex (D). Atlas images show where images for quantification were taken (D). Representative photomicrographs of AcbC following saline or poly(I:C) at 20X magnification. (E). Arrows indicate example mGluR2/3 staining. Scale bars are 1000 μm. * - p < 0.05, significantly different from control, # - p < 0.05, poly(I:C) treated rats significantly different from saline.