Sex Differences in Trauma, Inflammation and Brain Function and the Implications for Treatment Efficacy in Alcohol Use Disorder

Inclusion Criteria: * 18-60 years old * Veteran enrolled in VHA healthcare Alcohol Group: * must meet diagnosis for recent alcohol-use disorder (DSM-V) * willing to return for follow-up visits and can participate for 12-weeks Control Group: * must not meet DSM-V criteria for a use disorder other than nicotine Exclusion Criteria: * Clinically significant neurological, endocrine, hepatic, or systemic disease that would compromise safe participation or confound outcomes * Left-handedness * Axis-1 psychiatric diagnoses other than anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder * Recreational or prescriptive use of psychotropic medications * Recreational or prescriptive use of opioid medications or have a past or current history of abuse or dependence on opioids * MRI contraindications (e.g. metal in body) * Positive urine drug screen, except for nicotine and marijuana, on test days * Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding * Participants on hormonal therapy or treatments other than pregnancy contraceptives * Autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases that present with neuroinflammation (multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) * Current participation in an investigational drug study * Alcohol group: \< 5 days and \> 3 weeks of abstinence from alcohol * Alcohol group: Liver disease requiring medication or medical treatment, and/or aspartate or alanine aminotransferase levels greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal, gastrointestinal or renal disease that would significantly impair absorption, metabolism or excretion of study drug, or require medical treatment. * Non-english speaker