Adolescence (often defined as 12 to 20 years of age in humans) is a developmental period highlighted by continued neurobiological development accompanied by changes in personality. The neurobiological alterations include changes in neuronal networks, brain size, and receptor number and compositions, while changes in personality include increased risk choices and experimentation with drugs, including ethanol. In fact, increased drug use, particularly ethanol, is a commonly noted factor at this developmental stage in humans (Kim et al. 2008; Lim et al. 2007). The development of animal models to better understand the impact of ethanol exposure during adolescence has rapidly proceeded in the last decade. The need for animal models is obvious due to ethical and legal restrictions limiting ethanol research in human adolescence. The terms adolescence and puberty are often used interchangeably. While their timing overlaps, the terms are not synonymous (Sisk and Foster 2004; Spear 2000). Puberty refers to gonadal maturation, while adolescence refers to a gradual period of maturation of social and cognitive behaviors (Powell 2006; Sisk and Foster 2004). The precise timing of adolescence in rodents is difficult
