Adolescence, defined as ages 10-19 by the World Health Organization [1], represents the developmental transition to adulthood during which the brain is in a unique and dynamic state. This stage is marked by increased novelty seeking and risk-taking behavior as adolescents experiment with adult aspects of life, including the initiation of alcohol use. By twelfth grade, 73% of adolescents have experimented with alcohol while 30% have been drunk within the past month [2]. Further, more than half of 12-17 year-olds who consume alcohol, binge drink (>5/4 drinks for males and females respectively) [2]. Unfortunately, alcohol use during adolescence increases the risk for developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD) [3]. Elucidating the neurobiology of this risk is considered critical to understanding how AUDs develop. To date, two overlapping hypotheses have emerged to explain why adolescence is a critical time for developing an AUD. First, the adolescent brain responds uniquely to alcohol, which may result in fewer physiological cues to self-regulate intake [4]. Second, the adolescent brain exhibits an enhanced sensitivity to many alcohol effects, especially neurodegenerative effects of alcohol that dysregulate
