It is now widely accepted that alcohol and other addictive drugs act within the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system of the brain. This system originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projects to various limbic structures, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala, and hippocampus. Most notably, it is thought that the positive reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse relate to enhanced DA neurotransmission particularly within the NAc. Therefore, virtually all models of the addiction neurocircuitry feature the mesolimbic DA system as central to the addictive process. However, evidence gained over the past decade or more suggests that drug-induced changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) also critically regulate drug and alcohol addiction (Everitt and Robbins, 2005; Kalivas and Volkow, 2005; Kalivas, 2009). This evidence comes from diverse studies that include human and animal behavioral work, brain imaging, electrophysiology, and molecular and cellular observations. Whereas a comprehensive review of the role of the PFC in addiction is beyond the scope of this chapter, our aim is to provide a review of the literature regarding the effects of acute and chronic alcohol exposure
