This thesis investigated how different facets of impulsivity contribute to cocaine abuse vulnerability and their underlying neural mechanisms. Using Roman high- (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rat lines, motor impulsivity and risk-related decision-making were assessed with the rat gambling task and related to cocaine self-administration and relapse. This thesis highlighted that motor impulsivity, but not risk-related decision-making, predicted higher cocaine intake and increased drug-primed relapse, identifying it as a potential behavioral marker of substance abuse vulnerability. High-impulsive rats exhibited reduced metabolic activity in cortical regions, particularly the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Chemogenetic activation of mPFC projections to the nucleus accumbens selectively reduced motor impulsivity in high-impulsive rats, while inhibition had no effect in low-impulsive animals. Notably, this pathway did not influence risk-related decision-making, indicating that distinct neural circuits regulate different impulsivity domains. Overall, the results highlight frontostriatal hypoactivity as potential target for reducing motor impulsivity in disorders characterized by exacerbated impulsivity.