In addition, there is ample evidence (much of it discussed in this special issue) that ethanol alters neural and glial function in forebrain nuclei including amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), septal nucleus and other cholinergic forebrain regions, and thalamus, not to mention numerous brainstem and cerebellar areas. These are just a few examples of how ethanol effects in brain regions not always thought of as part of the canonical C-BG-C circuits can interact with the three C-BG-C circuits. While it is not yet possible to place all these actions into their proper role within the context of the neural actions of alcohol, a clearer picture has begun to emerge of how the circuits interact. These interactions facilitate crosstalk between brain circuits involved in different aspects of drinking and alcohol use disorders. To gain a fuller understanding of all the stages of use and abuse it will be necessary to gather more information about what ethanol does in each of these brain regions and circuits, and how the different regions and circuits contribute to drinking and use disorders.
