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Paiva-Santos MA, Leão AHFF, Kurita JPF, Becegato MS, Lima AC, Bioni VS, Meurer YSR, Cunha DMG, Medeiros AM, Silva RH. Sex differences in the acute ethanol effects on object recognition memory: influence of estrous cycle. Behav Pharmacol 2022; 33:322-332. [PMID: 35502955 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Effects of acute ethanol (EtOH) on memory depend on several factors, including type of behavioral task. Sex differences in EtOH effects have been reported in humans and animals, and recognition memory can be influenced by circulating sex hormones. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of sex and estrous cycle in the acute effects of EtOH on novel object recognition memory in rats. Male and female Wistar rats were part of one of the groups: control, 0.6-g/kg EtOH and 1.8-g/kg EtOH (administered intraperitoneally before the training session). The estrous cycle was evaluated by vaginal smear. The task was conducted in an open field arena. During training, animals were exposed to two identical objects, and test sessions were performed 1 h (short-term) and 24 h (long-term) later. One of the objects was changed in each test. Increased novel object exploration was shown by male and female controls in the short- and long-term tests, respectively. In the short-term test, females did not show preference for the novel object, and EtOH 1.8 g/kg impaired performance in males. In the long-term test, both sexes showed object discrimination, and 1.8-g/kg EtOH reduced preference for the new object in male rats. The phase of the cycle, the performance on proestrus was worse compared with other phases, and EtOH failed to impair performance mainly on estrous. In conclusion, while male rats displayed ethanol-induced recognition memory deficit, female rats were unaffected by EtOH impairing effects. In addition, the performance of female rats was influenced by the estrous cycle phases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - João P F Kurita
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - Marcela S Becegato
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - Alvaro C Lima
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - Vinicius S Bioni
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - Ywlliane S R Meurer
- Memory and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa
| | - Débora M G Cunha
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - André M Medeiros
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Health and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró, Brazil
| | - Regina H Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo
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Gawrylowicz J, Scoboria A, Teodorini R, Albery IP. Intoxicated eyewitnesses: The effect of a fully balanced placebo design on event memory and metacognitive control. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Gawrylowicz
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Health SciencesAbertay University Dundee UK
| | - Alan Scoboria
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
| | | | - Ian P. Albery
- Division of PsychologyLondon South Bank University London UK
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Wang Y, Tang L, Feng X, Du W, Liu BF. Ethanol interferes with gustatory plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Neurosci Res 2011; 71:341-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2011.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2011] [Revised: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 08/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Shuman T, Anagnostaras S, Wixted JT. An opportunistic theory of cellular and systems consolidation. Trends Neurosci 2011; 34:504-14. [PMID: 21742389 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2011.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2010] [Revised: 04/15/2011] [Accepted: 06/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Memories are often classified as hippocampus dependent or independent, and sleep has been found to facilitate both, but in different ways. In this Opinion, we explore the optimal neural state for cellular and systems consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories that benefit from sleep. We suggest that these two kinds of consolidation, which are ordinarily treated separately, overlap in time and jointly benefit from a period of reduced interference (during which no new memories are formed). Conditions that result in reduced interference include slow wave sleep (SWS), NMDA receptor antagonists, benzodiazepines, alcohol and acetylcholine antagonists. We hypothesize that the consolidation of hippocampal-dependent memories might not depend on SWS per se. Instead, the brain opportunistically consolidates previously encoded memories whenever the hippocampus is not otherwise occupied by the task of encoding new memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara C Mednick
- University of California, San Diego, Department of Psychiatry 9116a, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92116, USA.
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Alcohol-induced blackout. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2009; 6:2783-92. [PMID: 20049223 PMCID: PMC2800062 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph6112783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2009] [Accepted: 11/05/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
For a long time, alcohol was thought to exert a general depressant effect on the central nervous system (CNS). However, currently the consensus is that specific regions of the brain are selectively vulnerable to the acute effects of alcohol. An alcohol-induced blackout is the classic example; the subject is temporarily unable to form new long-term memories while relatively maintaining other skills such as talking or even driving. A recent study showed that alcohol can cause retrograde memory impairment, that is, blackouts due to retrieval impairments as well as those due to deficits in encoding. Alcoholic blackouts may be complete (en bloc) or partial (fragmentary) depending on severity of memory impairment. In fragmentary blackouts, cueing often aids recall. Memory impairment during acute intoxication involves dysfunction of episodic memory, a type of memory encoded with spatial and social context. Recent studies have shown that there are multiple memory systems supported by discrete brain regions, and the acute effects of alcohol on learning and memory may result from alteration of the hippocampus and related structures on a cellular level. A rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is most consistently associated with the likelihood of a blackout. However, not all subjects experience blackouts, implying that genetic factors play a role in determining CNS vulnerability to the effects of alcohol. This factor may predispose an individual to alcoholism, as altered memory function during intoxication may affect an individual’s alcohol expectancy; one may perceive positive aspects of intoxication while unintentionally ignoring the negative aspects. Extensive research on memory and learning as well as findings related to the acute effects of alcohol on the brain may elucidate the mechanisms and impact associated with the alcohol-induced blackout.
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6
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Abstract
Although ethanol has been shown to impair acquisition of memory, its effect on consolidated memories is not clear. Recent reports revealed that memory retrieval converted consolidated memory into a labile state and initiated the reconsolidation process. In the present study, we have demonstrated the effect of ethanol on reactivated fear memory. We used contextual fear conditioning where rats were conditioned with mild footshock, re-exposed to the training context for 2 min, immediately injected with ethanol or saline, and finally tested 48 h after re-exposure. Ethanol-treated groups demonstrated longer freezing and the effect lasted for 2 weeks. Reactivation is necessary for this effect. Injection of ethanol itself did not induce a fearful response. Reactivated and ethanol-treated rats exhibited longer freezing than non-reactivated controls, suggesting that ethanol does not inhibit the memory decline but facilitates the fear memory. Two minute re-exposures induced no or little extinction. The effect of ethanol was specific for 2-min reactivation, which induces reconsolidation. Moreover, we found that picrotoxin inhibited the memory enhancement that was produced by ethanol administered just after the reactivation. These studies demonstrate that ethanol enhances reactivated contextual fear memories via activation of GABA(A) receptors.
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7
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Mustard JA, Edgar EA, Mazade RE, Wu C, Lillvis JL, Wright GA. Acute ethanol ingestion impairs appetitive olfactory learning and odor discrimination in the honey bee. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2008; 90:633-43. [PMID: 18723103 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2008.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2008] [Revised: 07/29/2008] [Accepted: 07/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Invertebrates are valuable models for increasing our understanding of the effects of ethanol on the nervous system, but most studies on invertebrates and ethanol have focused on the effects of ethanol on locomotor behavior. In this work we investigate the influence of an acute dose of ethanol on appetitive olfactory learning in the honey bee (Apis mellifera), a model system for learning and memory. Adult worker honey bees were fed a range of doses (2.5%, 5%, 10%, or 25%) of ethanol and then conditioned to associate an odor with a sucrose reward using either a simple or differential conditioning paradigm. Consumption of ethanol before conditioning significantly reduced both the rate of acquisition and the asymptotic strength of the association. Honey bees also exhibited a dose dependent reduction in arousal/attention during conditioning. Consumption of ethanol after conditioning did not affect recall 24h later. The observed deficits in acquisition were not due to the affect of ethanol on gustatory sensitivity or motor function. However, honey bees given higher doses of ethanol had difficulty discriminating amongst different odors suggesting that ethanol consumption influences olfactory processing. Taken together, these results demonstrate that an acute dose of ethanol affects appetitive learning and olfactory perception in the honey bee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Mustard
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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Paulus MP, Tapert SF, Pulido C, Schuckit MA. Alcohol attenuates load-related activation during a working memory task: relation to level of response to alcohol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006; 30:1363-71. [PMID: 16899039 PMCID: PMC2276979 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00164.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A low level of response to alcohol is a major risk factor for the development of alcohol dependence, but neural correlates of this marker are unclear. METHOD Ten healthy volunteers were classified by median split on level of response to alcohol and underwent 2 sessions of functional magnetic resonance imaging following ingestion of a moderate dose of alcohol and a placebo. The blood oxygen level-dependent activation to an event-related visual working memory test was examined. RESULTS The subjects exhibited longer response latencies and more errors as a function of increasing working memory load and showed a load-dependent increase in activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex, and visual cortex. Alcohol did not affect performance (errors or response latency), but attenuated the working memory load-dependent activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. During the placebo condition, individuals with a low level of response to alcohol showed greater activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex than those with a high level of response to alcohol. During the alcohol condition, groups showed similar attenuation of load-dependent brain activation in these regions. CONCLUSION Low-level responders relative to high-level responders exhibited an increased working memory load-dependent activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex when not exposed to alcohol. This increase in brain response was attenuated in low-level responders after ingesting a moderate dose of alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin P Paulus
- Laboratory of Biological Dynamics and Theoretical Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0603, USA
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Abstract
Traditional theories of forgetting are wedded to the notion that cue-overload interference procedures (often involving the A-B, A-C list-learning paradigm) capture the most important elements of forgetting in everyday life. However, findings from a century of work in psychology, psychopharmacology, and neuroscience converge on the notion that such procedures may pertain mainly to forgetting in the laboratory and that everyday forgetting is attributable to an altogether different form of interference. According to this idea, recently formed memories that have not yet had a chance to consolidate are vulnerable to the interfering force of mental activity and memory formation (even if the interfering activity is not similar to the previously learned material). This account helps to explain why sleep, alcohol, and benzodiazepines all improve memory for a recently learned list, and it is consistent with recent work on the variables that affect the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation in the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T Wixted
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093-0109, USA.
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10
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Weitemier AZ, Ryabinin AE. Alcohol-induced memory impairment in trace fear conditioning: a hippocampus-specific effect. Hippocampus 2003; 13:305-15. [PMID: 12722971 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.10063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
It has been hypothesized that the amnesic effects of alcohol are through selective disruption of hippocampal function. Delay and trace fear conditioning are useful paradigms to investigate hippocampal-dependent and independent forms of memory. With delay fear conditioning, learning of explicit cues does not depend on normal hippocampal function, whereas learning explicit cues in trace fear conditioning does. In both delay and trace fear conditioning, the hippocampus is involved in learning to contextual cues, but it may not be entirely necessary. The present study investigates the effects of alcohol on the acquisition of delay and trace fear conditioning in mice, using freezing as a measure of learning. Male C57BL/6J mice were injected with 0.8 or 1.6 g/kg of 20% v/v alcohol and were immediately exposed to eight tone-footshock pairings in which the conditional stimulus (CS) either coterminated with a footshock unconditional stimulus (US) (delay conditioning) or was separated from the footshock by a 30-s trace interval (trace conditioning). During trace, but not delay fear conditioning, 0.8 g/kg alcohol impaired learning to a tone CS. This dose also impaired context-dependent learning in both procedures (although only slightly for trace fear conditioning). The 1.6 g/kg alcohol exerted a nonselective impairment on learning. The impairment by alcohol of learning to a tone CS when it is hippocampus-dependent, but not when it is hippocampus-independent provides further support for the hypothesis that alcohol exerts a selective effect on hippocampus-dependent learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Z Weitemier
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula L Hoffman
- Department of Pharmacology C-236, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 E. Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA
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12
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Bartholow BD, Pearson MA, Gratton G, Fabiani M. Effects of alcohol on person perception: A social cognitive neuroscience approach. J Pers Soc Psychol 2003; 85:627-38. [PMID: 14561117 DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.85.4.627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The acute effects of alcohol on cognitive processing of expectancy violations were investigated using event-related brain potentials and a cued recall task to index attentional and working memory processes associated with inconsistency resolution. As predicted, expectancy-violating behaviors elicited larger late positive potentials (LPP) and were recalled better than expectancy-consistent behaviors. These effects were moderated by alcohol and the valence of initial expectancies. For placebo group participants, positive targets performing negative behaviors elicited the largest LPP responses and were recalled best. For those in the alcohol groups, negative targets behaving positively elicited the largest LPP and recall responses. These findings suggest that alcohol does not globally impair working memory processes in person perception but instead changes the nature of valenced information processing. Findings are discussed in the context of alcohol's effects on working memory processes, reward sensitivity, and the prefrontal cortical structures thought to mediate them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce D Bartholow
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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13
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White AM, Jamieson-Drake DW, Swartzwelder HS. Prevalence and correlates of alcohol-induced blackouts among college students: results of an e-mail survey. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2002; 51:117-131. [PMID: 12638993 DOI: 10.1080/07448480209596339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The authors conducted an e-mail survey of 772 college students to learn more about their experiences with blackouts. Approximately half (51%) of those who had ever consumed alcohol reported they had experienced a blackout at some point in their lives, and 40% had experienced 1 in the year before the survey. Among those who drank in the 2 weeks before the survey, nearly 1 in 10 (9.4%) had experienced a blackout during that period. Many later learned that, during the blackout, they had vandalized property, driven an automobile, had sexual intercourse, or engaged in other risky behaviors. Experiencing 3 or more blackouts was associated with a variety of other experiences, including heavier drinking, lower grades, an earlier age of drinking onset, and having others express concerns about their drinking. The female students who reported blackouts during the 2 weeks before the survey drank far less than male students did during this time period, supporting the use of gender-specific definitions of risky drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M White
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
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Hendricson AW, Miao CLA, Lippmann MJ, Morrisett RA. Ifenprodil and ethanol enhance NMDA receptor-dependent long-term depression. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2002; 301:938-44. [PMID: 12023522 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.301.3.938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term alterations in synaptic transmission are thought to underlie various types of alcohol-related brain disorders. While ethanol effects on synaptic potentiation are well documented, ethanol effects on synaptic depression have not been addressed. Herein, we performed experiments to assess the role of ethanol on long-term depression (LTD) formation. In rat hippocampal slices, prolonged low-frequency stimulation (LFS) of CA1 Schaffer collaterals (1 Hz for 7 min) induced saturable, long-lasting, reversible N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent LTD of stimulus-evoked dendritic population excitatory postsynaptic potentials. This depression (-26% LTD amplitude) was observed in young rats (12-20 days old), but not adult rats (28-35 days old). Induction of LTD was blocked (-3% LTD amplitude) when the LFS was delivered in the presence of the NMDA receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid. When the conditioning LFS was delivered in the presence of ethanol, there was a significant enhancement in the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTD versus control LTD (-36% LTD amplitude). Ifenprodil, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 2B (NR2B)-selective antagonist, also significantly facilitated the induction of LTD (-40% LTD amplitude). Consistent with this result, ifenprodil did not affect the NMDA receptor-dependent component of the baseline synaptic response, whereas D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid caused significant depression of the NMDA component. These data indicate that whereas ethanol is known to inhibit NMDA receptor function in a variety of systems, it significantly enhances the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTD. Furthermore, since ifenprodil is known to select for ethanol-sensitive subtypes of NR2B-NMDA receptors, these data also suggest that NR2B-containing NMDA receptor subpopulations do not contribute to LTD, but instead may actually play inhibitory roles in LTD induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam W Hendricson
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas, Austin, TX 789712-1074, USA
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Schummers J, Browning MD. Evidence for a role for GABA(A) and NMDA receptors in ethanol inhibition of long-term potentiation. BRAIN RESEARCH. MOLECULAR BRAIN RESEARCH 2001; 94:9-14. [PMID: 11597760 DOI: 10.1016/s0169-328x(01)00161-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We have investigated the mechanisms by which acute ethanol inhibits the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice. In a previous report [Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. 21 (1997) 404] we demonstrated that ethanol produces only a modest inhibition of pharmacologically isolated N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Moreover, this level of inhibition was not sufficient to account for ethanol's complete inhibition of LTP induction in this brain region. One possible explanation of these results is that we may have underestimated ethanol's ultimate effect on the NMDAR by focusing on pharmacologically isolated NMDAR responses. Ethanol might indirectly inhibit the NMDAR by, for example, potentiating the GABA(A)R. To explore this possibility, we first examined the effects of the GABA(A)R antagonist picrotoxin (PTX) and the allosteric GABA(A)R modulator flunitrazepam on NMDAR responses. We demonstrate that these modulators of GABA(A)R activity significantly affect the magnitude of synaptically evoked NMDAR responses. We next examined the effects of ethanol on NMDAR responses in the presence and absence of PTX. We see a significantly greater ethanol inhibition of the NMDAR when GABA(A)Rs are functional, i.e. in the absence of PTX. These data suggest that ethanol produces an inhibition of the NMDAR indirectly by affecting the GABA(A)R neurotransmission. Moreover, we found that ethanol inhibition of NMDAR activity, both directly through actions on the NMDAR, and indirectly, possibly through potentiation of GABA(A)R activity, is sufficient to account for ethanol's complete blockade of LTP induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Schummers
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 E. 9th Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA
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Abstract
Ethanol affects behavior by interacting with synaptic sites at many levels of the nervous system. However, it targets most readily and at the lowest concentrations those sites mediating higher cognitive functions such as attention and memory. The memory-impairing effects of ethanol are thought to involve the hippocampus, a structure particularly vulnerable to the effects ethanol at low concentrations and early in the rising phase of the blood ethanol concentration curve. One of the early, low-dose effects of ethanol is an interruption of the normal physiological regulation of the hippocampus by the ascending septohippocampal pathway originating in the medial septal area (MSA). Ethanol enhances GABAergic transmission in the MSA, thereby reducing the regularity and vigor with which rhythmically bursting neurons of the MSA drive the hippocampal theta rhythm. Disruption of septohippocampal activity also has consequences on the response of the hippocampus to cortical inputs. Ethanol produces a loss of hippocampal responsivity that reduces the ability of the hippocampus to encode and retrieve relevant stimulus information necessary for accurate memory. This paper examines the behavioral and neural evidence for hippocampal vulnerability to ethanol and explores the hypothesis that these effects are due to ethanol disrupting septohippocampal modulation of the hippocampus, resulting in impairments of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Givens
- Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. givens+@osu.edu
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Basavarajappa BS, Hungund BL. Down-regulation of cannabinoid receptor agonist-stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding in synaptic plasma membrane from chronic ethanol exposed mouse. Brain Res 1999; 815:89-97. [PMID: 9974126 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(98)01072-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In our previous study, we demonstrated that chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure down-regulated the cannabinoid receptors (CB1) in mouse brain synaptic plasma membrane (SPM) (Basavarajappa et al., Brain Res. 793 (1998) 212-218). In the present study, we investigated the effect of chronic EtOH (4-day inhalation) on the CB1 agonist stimulated guanosine-5'-O-(3-[35S]thio)-triphosphate ([35S]GTP gamma S) binding in SPM from mouse. Our results indicate that the net CP55,940 stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding was increased with increasing concentrations of CP55,940 and GDP. This net CP55,940 (1.5 microM) stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding was reduced significantly (-25%) in SPM from chronic EtOH group (175 +/- 5.25%, control; 150 +/- 8.14%, EtOH; P < 0.05). This effect occurs without any significant changes on basal [35S]GTP gamma S binding (152.1 +/- 10.7 for control, 147.4 +/- 5.0 fmol/mg protein for chronic EtOH group, P > 0.05). Non-linear regression analysis of net CP55,940 stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding in SPM showed that the Bmax of cannabinoid stimulated binding was significantly reduced in chronic EtOH exposed mouse (Bmax = 7.58 +/- 0.22 for control; 6.42 +/- 0.20 pmol/mg protein for EtOH group; P < 0.05) without any significant changes in the G-protein affinity (Kd = 2.68 +/- 0.24 for control; 3.42 +/- 0.31 nM for EtOH group; P > 0.05). The pharmacological specificity of CP55,940 stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding in SPM was examined with CB1 receptor antagonist, SR141716A and these studies indicated that CP55,940 stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding was blocked by SR141716A with a decrease (P < 0.05) in the IC50 values in the SPM from chronic EtOH group. These results suggest that the observed down-regulation of CB1 receptors by chronic EtOH has a profound effect on desensitization of cannabinoid-activated signal transduction and possible involvement of CB1 receptors in EtOH tolerance and dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- B S Basavarajappa
- Division of Analytical Psychopharmacology, New York State Psychiatric Institute at NKI, Orangeburg 10962, USA
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Heishman SJ, Arasteh K, Stitzer ML. Comparative effects of alcohol and marijuana on mood, memory, and performance. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1997; 58:93-101. [PMID: 9264076 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-3057(96)00456-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
This study compared subjective and behavioral effect profiles of alcohol and smoked marijuana using technology that controlled puffing and inhalation parameters. Male volunteers (n = 5) with histories of moderate alcohol and marijuana use were administered three doses of alcohol (0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 g/kg), three doses of marijuana [4.8, or 16 puffs of 3.55% delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)], and placebo in random order under double blind conditions in seven separate sessions. Blood alcohol concentration (10-90 mg/dl) and THC levels (63-188 ng/ml) indicated that active drug was delivered to subjects dose dependently. Alcohol and marijuana produced dose-related changes in subjective measures of drug effect. Ratings of perceived impairment were identical for the high doses of alcohol and marijuana. Both drugs produced comparable impairment in digit-symbol substitution and word recall tests, but had no effect in time perception and reaction time tests. Alcohol, but not marijuana, slightly impaired performance in a number recognition test. These data are useful for understanding the relative performance impairment produced by alcohol and marijuana at the delivered doses and the relationship between their subjective and behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Heishman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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Schummers J, Bentz S, Browning MD. Ethanol's inhibition of LTP may not be mediated solely via direct effects on the NMDA receptor. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1997; 21:404-8. [PMID: 9161598 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1997.tb03783.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Acute abuse of alcohol is well known to have deleterious effects on memory. However, the molecular and cellular bases of this effect are not well understood. Ethanol is known to inhibit long-term potentiation (LTP), a putative cellular substrate of memory. However, there is controversy concerning the doses of ethanol required for inhibition of LTP. We examined the doses of ethanol required to inhibit LTP in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. We used two different LTP-inducing paradigms in these studies and found that only doses of ethanol associated with profound intoxication (50-100 mM) can produce significant inhibition of LTP. We also investigated the molecular mechanisms of ethanol's effect on LTP. Activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor plays a critical role in LTP, and ethanol has been shown to partially inhibit N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor function. We tested directly whether the level of N-methyl-D-aspartate inhibition produced by 100 mM ethanol is sufficient to account for the complete inhibition of LTP produced by 100 mM ethanol. Our data suggest that ethanol's effects on the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor can account for most, but not all of ethanol's inhibition of LTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Schummers
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA
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20
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Melia KR, Ryabinin AE, Corodimas KP, Wilson MC, Ledoux JE. Hippocampal-dependent learning and experience-dependent activation of the hippocampus are preferentially disrupted by ethanol. Neuroscience 1996; 74:313-22. [PMID: 8865184 DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(96)00138-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
A classical fear conditioning paradigm was used to examine the effect of acute ethanol on the acquisition of context conditioning, a hippocampal-dependent associative task, and tone conditioning, a hippocampal-independent task. Administration of ethanol before the presentation of seven tone-shock pairings severely disrupted the acquisition of context conditioning, but had only a slight effect on tone conditioning, when conditioned fear was measured 48 h later. This effect was dose dependent: a dose of 0.5 g/kg had no effect on either context or tone conditioning, while doses of 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg disrupted context conditioning by 78-86%, and tone conditioning by 9-17%. Subsequent experiments indicated that ethanol's preferential effect on context conditioning could not be attributed to the fact that context conditioning is weaker than tone conditioning, ethanol-induced changes in motivational state or state-dependent learning. The effect of ethanol on stimulus-induced increases in hippocampal and neocortical expression of c-fos mRNA, a marker for changes in metabolic neuronal activity, was also examined. Ethanol completely blocked the induction of hippocampal c-fos mRNA by exposure to the conditioning context alone or seven tone-shock pairings, but only attenuated neocortical responses to these stimuli. Together, these results suggest that ethanol disrupts hippocampal-dependent learning by preferentially impairing stimulus processing at the level of the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- K R Melia
- Center for Neural Science, New York University NY 10003, USA
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Swartzwelder HS, Wilson WA, Tayyeb MI. Age-dependent inhibition of long-term potentiation by ethanol in immature versus mature hippocampus. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1995; 19:1480-5. [PMID: 8749814 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1995.tb01011.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to assess the effects of ethanol on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices from immature versus mature rats. Population excitatory postsynaptic potentials (pEPSPs) were recorded from stratum radiatum of area CA1 of hippocampal slices using electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural fiber pathway. The slices were prepared from rats aged 15 to 25 or from 70 to 100 days. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of the pEPSP slope was induced using a single, theta-burst stimulus train in the presence or absence of 60 mM ethanol. Under control conditions, the stimulus train induced LTP in slices from both immature and mature animals. However, the magnitude of LTP was greater in slices from immature rats. When ethanol was present during the stimulus train, the magnitude of LTP in slices from mature animals did not differ significantly from the magnitude of LTP in control slices. However, ethanol virtually blocked the induction of LTP in slices from immature animals. These results indicate that memory-related synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus is attenuated by ethanol to a greater degree in immature versus mature animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Swartzwelder
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA
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22
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Abstract
Long-term potentiation (LTP), a leading neural mechanism of memory, is profoundly affected by ethanol in vitro, but ethanol's effect on LTP in vivo has not been studied at doses known to impair memory. In this study, LTP was induced in the dentate hilus by theta-pattern stimulation of the perforant path. Dentate evoked responses were recorded during a 3 h session in which rats pressed a lever on a fixed interval (30 s) schedule of reinforcement. Following theta-pattern stimulation, rats pretreated with saline had significant LTP that was present throughout the session. LTP was measured as an increase in the initial slope and the population spike of the evoked response. The potentiation was no longer present 24 h after stimulation. Ethanol (0.5 g/kg and 1.0 g/kg) blocked LTP and attenuated short-term frequency potentiation in a dose-dependent fashion. Although ethanol produced a decrease in rewarded lever pressing, lever pressing was not correlated to any measure of the evoked response. Ethanol, when given 60 min after theta-pattern stimulation, did not alter the expression of LTP. The results demonstrate that low doses of ethanol selectively blocked the induction of LTP in vivo, an effect that may underlie ethanol's impairment of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Givens
- Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA
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Swartzwelder HS, Wilson WA, Tayyeb MI. Differential sensitivity of NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic potentials to ethanol in immature versus mature hippocampus. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1995; 19:320-3. [PMID: 7625564 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1995.tb01509.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Pharmacologically isolated, NMDA receptor-mediated population EPSPs (pEPSPs) were evoked from area CA1 of hippocampal slices using electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural fiber pathway. Slices were prepared from rats aged 20-25 or 80-100 days. The inhibitory effects of a range of ethanol concentrations were assessed. While ethanol antagonized NMDA-mediated pEPSPs in slices from both age groups, it was significantly more potent against pEPSPs from immature versus mature hippocampi. In slices from mature animals, significant and consistent reduction of pEPSPs was observed only with the highest ethanol concentration (100 mM), whereas 10, 30, or 100 mM significantly reduced the amplitude of pEPSPs in slices from immature animals. These results indicate that NMDA-mediated synaptic activity in the hippocampus is more sensitive to the effects of ethanol in immature versus mature animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Swartzwelder
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, V.A. Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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O'Toole D, Yuille JC, Patrick CJ, Iacono WG. Alcohol and the physiological detection of deception: arousal and memory influences. Psychophysiology 1994; 31:253-63. [PMID: 8008789 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1994.tb02214.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Eighty male volunteers participated in an analogue study of the effects of alcohol intoxication at the time of a crime on the physiological detection of deception using control question and guilty knowledge techniques. Sixty-four of the subjects committed a mock crime and half of these were intoxicated during the crime. Sixteen subjects committed no crime and served as innocent controls. We found that intoxication at the time of the crime had no significant effect on polygraph test outcomes, although it did affect anticipatory arousal before the crime and subsequent memory for crime details. Manipulations designed to influence memory for crime details and arousal during the crime had differential effects for the two polygraph tests. On the guilty knowledge test, primed subjects who rehearsed specific details following the crime were more detectable than unprimed subjects. On the control question test, primed subjects were also more detectable, but only when arousal during the crime was high.
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Affiliation(s)
- D O'Toole
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
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Jennison KM, Johnson KA. Drinking-induced blackouts among young adults: results from a national longitudinal study. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE ADDICTIONS 1994; 29:23-51. [PMID: 8144268 DOI: 10.3109/10826089409047367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Amnesia drinking episodes among a national probability sample of 12,686 young adults are examined at two points in their lives: when they were ages 19 to 26 in 1984 and 23 through 30 in 1988. Prospective blackout patterns of early onset, late onset, chronicity, and remission were analyzed using logistic regression statistical models. Results indicate that the relative risk of short-term memory loss while drinking is significantly associated with increased alcohol consumption, age of drinking onset, the number of alcoholic relatives, and, principally, with the individual's capacity to control drinking behavior. It is concluded that the blackout remission rate observed among a substantial proportion (68%) of young adults may not fit the progressive, irreversible model of alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Jennison
- Department of Sociology, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley 80639
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26
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Abstract
The function of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor is very sensitive to acute inhibition by ethanol. Because of the role of this receptor in processes such as synaptic plasticity and neuronal development, it may contribute to the acute cognitive deficits caused by ethanol, or to the deleterious effects of ethanol during gestation. Excessive stimulation of the NMDA receptor is believed to be involved in the generation of epileptiform seizure activity as well as in excitotoxic cell death. Our studies have demonstrated that there is an adaptive "up-regulation" of NMDA receptor function in brains of chronically ethanol-treated animals and in cultured cells that have been exposed chronically to ethanol. This up-regulation appears to contribute to ethanol withdrawal seizure activity, since withdrawal seizures can be attenuated by specific NMDA receptor antagonists, and the time course of the change in receptor number parallels the time course of withdrawal seizures. In addition, cells exposed chronically to ethanol are significantly more susceptible to glutamate-induced cell death, which is mediated by the NMDA receptor, indicating a key role of the NMDA receptor in the well-characterized neuronal damage that is observed after chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal in animals and humans. Understanding the basis for withdrawal seizures and withdrawal-induced neurotoxicity provides for the development of specific and selective therapeutic agents to ameliorate these consequences of chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Hoffman
- University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Department of Pharmacology, Denver 80262
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Sanna E, Serra M, Cossu A, Colombo G, Follesa P, Cuccheddu T, Concas A, Biggio G. Chronic ethanol intoxication induces differential effects on GABAA and NMDA receptor function in the rat brain. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1993; 17:115-23. [PMID: 8383922 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1993.tb00735.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The effect of long-term treatment with ethanol was investigated on the function of gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) and N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors. Rats were rendered ethanol-dependent by repeated forced administration of a 20% ethanol solution (12 to 18 g/kg/day po) for 6 days and tested while still intoxicated or at different time intervals after withdrawal. t-[35S]Butylbicyclophosphorothionate (35S-TBPS) binding was increased by 30% in cortical homogenates of rats killed 1 to 3 hr after last ethanol administration, when compared with saline-treated animals. However, GABA-stimulated 36Cl- uptake and its enhancement by flunitrazepam was decreased in the ethanol-treated animals. 35S-TBPS binding and 36Cl- influx measured 9 to 24 hr following the last ethanol injection, when withdrawal signs were present, were unmodified with respect to saline-treated rats. Moreover, the effects of both isoniazid and FG 7142 on 35S-TBPS binding were unchanged in ethanol-dependent rats tested at 1 to 3 and 9 to 24 hr, compared with controls. In contrast, ethanol-withdrawn rats tested at 9 to 24 hr showed a dramatic enhancement in their sensitivity to the convulsant action of isoniazid (50 to 250 mg/kg, sc). The same animals were also more susceptible to the convulsant action of NMDA (0.5 to 5 micrograms/5 microliters/rat intracerebroventricularly) and kainic acid (12 mg/kg, ip), and this effect was paralleled by an enhancement (+25%) in the density of 3H-MK 801 recognition sites in the hippocampus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- E Sanna
- Department of Experimental Biology, University of Cagliari, Italy
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Tabakoff B, Rabe CS, Hoffman PL. Selective effects of sedative/hypnotic drugs on excitatory amino acid receptors in brain. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1991; 625:488-95. [PMID: 1647738 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1991.tb33879.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B Tabakoff
- Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Aracava Y, Fróes-Ferrão MM, Pereira EF, Albuquerque EX. Sensitivity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to ethanol and pyrazole. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1991; 625:451-72. [PMID: 1711814 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1991.tb33877.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Y Aracava
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology II, Institute of Biophysics, Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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31
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Abstract
Acute ethanol intoxication is associated with changes in the activity of neurons in the central nervous system. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these changes are poorly understood. We have examined the acute effects of ethanol on excitatory synaptic mechanisms in neurons from mammalian central nervous system, and observed that intoxicating concentrations of ethanol can inhibit the ion current activated by the glutamate receptor agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate in cultured neurons from mouse hippocampus, cortex and spinal cord. This inhibition is seen under a variety of experimental recording conditions. On the other hand, ethanol is less effective in inhibiting ion current produced by activation of non-N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors. Intoxicating concentrations of ethanol also inhibit excitatory synaptic transmission mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in hippocampal slices from adult rodents. These observations support the hypothesis that the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor/ionophore complex is a target for the neural actions of ethanol, and that inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated responses might contribute to acute ethanol intoxication. The possibility that other receptor-gated ion channels may also be sensitive to ethanol is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Lovinger
- Section of Electrophysiology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD 20852
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32
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Hoffman PL, Rabe CS, Moses F, Tabakoff B. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and ethanol: inhibition of calcium flux and cyclic GMP production. J Neurochem 1989; 52:1937-40. [PMID: 2542453 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1989.tb07280.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 407] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Measurements of calcium uptake and cyclic GMP production by cerebellar granule cells grown in primary culture demonstrated that ethanol preferentially inhibited N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-gated cation channel function. Concentrations of ethanol as low as 10 mM inhibited NMDA-stimulated Ca2+ uptake by greater than 30%, and ethanol also inhibited NMDA-stimulated (Ca2+-dependent) cyclic GMP accumulation in a similar, dose-dependent manner. Responses to kainate were significantly less sensitive to ethanol. Studies using various concentrations of NMDA, as well as phencyclidine (PCP) and glycine, suggested that ethanol affected the "coagonist" binding site of the NMDA receptor-channel complex, rather than the PCP recognition site.
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Hoffman
- Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland
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