Effects of acute alcohol on excitability in the CNS

Abstract

Alcohol has many effects on brain function and hence on human behavior, ranging from anxiolytic and mild disinhibitory effects, sedation and motor incoordination, amnesia, emesis, hypnosis and eventually unconsciousness. In recent years a variety of studies have shown that acute and chronic exposure to alcohol can modulate ion channels that regulate excitability. Modulation of intrinsic excitability provides another way in which alcohol can influence neuronal network activity, in addition to its actions on synaptic inputs. In this review, we review “low dose” effects [between 2–20mM EtOH], and medium dose effects [between 20–50mM, by considering in turn each of the many networks and brain regions affected by alcohol, and thereby attempt to integrate in vitro physiological studies in specific brain regions (e.g. amygdala, ventral tegmental area, prefrontal cortex, thalamus, cerebellum etc..) within the context of alcohol’s behavioral actions in vivo (e.g. anxiolysis, euphoria, sedation, motor incoordination).

Positions in the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate Receptor GluN2C Subunit M3 and M4 Domains Regulate Alcohol Sensitivity and Receptor Kinetics

“…Ethanol (EtOH) is a widely abused drug that acts on multiple pre‐ and postsynaptic targets in the brain to alter synaptic transmission (Abrahao et al., ; Harrison et al., ; McCool, ). Among the most important targets of EtOH are N ‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors (NMDAR), glutamate‐gated ion channels that are essential for multiple aspects of brain function, including forms of synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory, motor function, cognition, attention, and reward (Bliss and Collingridge, ; Dingledine et al., ; Paoletti and Neyton, ; Traynelis et al., ).…”

Influence of Ethanol on Darunavir Hepatic Clearance and Intracellular PK/PD in HIV-Infected Monocytes, and CYP3A4-Darunavir Interactions Using Inhibition and in Silico Binding Studies

“…Similarly, 20–25 mM ethanol is physiologically relevant blood concentration in mild-to-moderate drinkers (41,42). In this study we report high CYP3A4 inhibitory potencies (0.166 μM) for DRV.…”

Etiloterapia en el servicio de urgencias. Una revisión de la literatura

“…De forma aguda, el alcohol produce varios efectos fisiológicos (tabla 3). Ellos explican, al menos parcialmente, los eventos negativos que podrían presentarse durante la etiloterapia: confusión, estupor, somnolencia, depresión del estado de conciencia, hipotonía e hiperreflexia, náuseas y vómito, insuficiencia cardiaca, edema pulmonar, dificultad respiratoria, oliguria, dolor abdominal, necrosis tubular aguda, hematuria, proteinuria e insuficiencia renal aguda (15,16).…”