Panel Session

    December 2004 in “ Neuropsychopharmacology ”
    Brian Knutson, Diana Martínez, Nora D. Volkow, Gene‐Jack Wang, Jim Ma, Joanna S. Fowler, Christopher Wong, Jean Logan, Yu‐Shin Ding, Trevor W. Robbins, Torgny H. Svensson, Sabina De Villiers, Nina Lindblom, Anette Johansson, Sandra Gordon, Myrna M. Weissman, Priya Wickramaratne, Yoko Nomura, Ronald E. Dahl, Jennifer S. Lerner, Ahmad R. Hariri, Cecile D. Ladouceur, Cameron Carter, Neal D. Ryan, Christopher S. Monk, Eric E. Nelson, Erin A. McClure, Karin Mogg, Brendan P. Bradley, Ellen Leibenluft, James Blair, Gang Cheng, Dennis S. Charney, Monique Ernst, Daniel S. Pine, Bradley S. Peterson, Hongtu Zhu, Ravi Bansal
    TLDR Long-term alcohol exposure alters brain receptor function differently in various brain regions.
    The study investigated the effects of chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal on the delta subunit of GABA-A receptors in rat hippocampal and cerebellar neurons. It found that long-term ethanol exposure increased delta subunit expression in hippocampal neurons but not in cerebellar cells, while withdrawal led to a rapid decrease in cerebellar cells and a persistent increase in hippocampal neurons. These changes affected the efficacy of THIP and allopregnanolone in modulating chloride currents, suggesting different roles for these receptors in tonic inhibition. The study also showed that ethanol increased neurosteroid levels, affecting GABA-A receptor function, which may be significant in various physiological and pathological conditions.
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