Alcohol use and abuse are widespread in the U.S. population. Moreover, for each drinker, alcohol consumption, particularly at excessive levels, has a vast range of effects on the body. Accordingly, research programs aimed at understanding alcohol's effects on the individual as well as on society are similarly varied and widespread. Much of this research focuses on alcohol's impact on the brain and individual nerve cells (i.e., neurons). A detailed survey of the strategies used to investigate the neural mechanisms associated with alcohol use and abuse would easily fill multiple volumes. Instead, this Special Section provides brief reviews of topics largely associated with two areas of research: 1) What strategies can researchers use to image the acute and chronic effects of alcohol on brain function? 2) How can investigators detect the genes, gene products, and gene networks associated with alcohol-related traits?