Fetal alcohol exposure has devastating neurobehavioral consequences that protract into adulthood. In the lab, combining optogenetic, ex vivo and in vivo neuronal activity recordings, I investigate how ethanol exposure during early periods of development affects the maturation of cortico-striatal pathways to produce cognitive dysfunctions. Understanding the relative contribution of synaptic and circuit plasticity at specific brain circuits for executive function might expand the paucity of therapeutic interventions currently available for patients affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).