Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms for the behavioral effects of ethanol is important in determining the underlying neurocircuitry involved in ethanol reward. Although the dopamine, serotonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) systems have been extensively studied, little is known about the behavioral consequences of the actions of ethanol at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The experiments that comprise this thesis investigated the role of NMDA receptor binding sites in the acquisition of ethanol-induced conditioned plate preference (CPP).