The incentive salience theory of addiction describes how long-lasting changes in motivational neurocircuitry, induced by drug consumption, renders the brain-reward system sensitized to drug-associated stimuli (cues), essentially leading to cravings and relapse (Berridge & Robinson, 1998). fMRI studies demonstrate an alcohol cue-induced attentional bias in alcoholics compared to healthy controls (Schacht, Anton, & Myrick, 2013; Vollstadt-Klein et al., 2012). Indeed, several fMRI investigations have linked visual alcohol cues to a hemodynamic response in the brain regions related to the reward circuitry including the anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and insula (Ihssen, Cox, Wiggett, Fadardi, & Linden, 2011; Myrick et al., 2008). Others studies have reported BOLD changes in brain areas of alcoholics linked to self-control, memory, and reflective thinking (Krienke et al., 2014), indicating significant changes in circuitry related to decision-making. Individuals who binge consume alcohol and are at risk for developing AUD display a heightened BOLD response in both the left and right nucleus accumbens to monetary reward cues in comparison to healthy controls (Crane et al., 2017). This finding suggests fundamental differences in reward processing
