Major components of this circuitry that are important for alcohol responses include the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortical regions.Koob and Volkow (2010) review decades of clinical and pre-clinical studies showing that discrete aspects of mesocorticolimbic circuitry are engaged during binge drug use, withdrawal/negative affect, and relapse, encompassing all stages of the addiction cycle (7). Much progress has been made in the identification of molecular and physiological adaptations that underlie substance use disorders.