(Introduction)
The conditions that lead to excessive alcohol consumption in some individuals and not in others are complex because they involve interactions among genetic, psychosocial, environmental, and neurobiological factors. In particular, alcoholism is a multigenic disorder. Animal models, including genetic models of alcoholism that may be relevant to some forms of alcoholism, and sophisticated genetic research strategies have been directed at this specific question. Moreover, in contrast to most other drugs of abuse, the actions of which are confined to a more limited number of neurochemical or receptor systems, the pharmacological effects of ethanol that support alcohol reward and alcohol-seeking behavior involve actions at multiple receptors and neurochemical systems occurring at widespread neuroanatomical sites throughout the brain. All of these factors together present unique challenges to understanding the basis of alcohol use and abuse. We focus here on recent information regarding the actions of ethanol on circuits implicated in motivation and reward, adaptations relevant for the transition to dependence and relapse, and issues relevant for the treatment of alcohol abuse that have provided new directions or new questions for the field of alcohol research.
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