research Ethanol Enhances Neurosteroidogenesis in Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons by Paradoxical NMDA Receptor Activation
The study found that ethanol enhanced neurosteroid production in hippocampal pyramidal neurons through paradoxical activation of NMDA receptors. Specifically, 60 mm ethanol increased neurosteroid staining, which was blocked by 5α-reductase inhibitors (finasteride and dutasteride) and an NMDA receptor antagonist (APV). This enhancement was linked to the inhibition of long-term potentiation (LTP), a model for memory formation, which was also reversed by the same inhibitors. The effects of ethanol on neurosteroid production and LTP were replicated by low concentrations of NMDA, suggesting that ethanol's impact on neurosteroidogenesis and LTP inhibition involved NMDA receptor-mediated metaplasticity.
