Enhancement of NMDA toxicity and calcium responses by chronic exposure of cultured cortical neurons to ethanol.
Exposure of rat cerebrocortical cultures to 100 mM ethanol for 3-4 days increased both the neurotoxic potency of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and the maximal extent of NMDA-induced intracellular calcium (Ca2+i) elevations. In both control and ethanol-treated cultures, NMDA toxicity correlated closely with [Ca2+]i. Enhancement of NMDA responses may reflect neuronal adaptation to chronic ethanol exposure and could contribute to the pathogenesis of alcohol-related neurologic disorders.
Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francsico 94110.
K B
KB
Ahern
H S
HS
Lustig
D A
DA
Greenberg
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016257:Fura-2; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000633:toxicity*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
D000431:Ethanol; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2