title: Effect of acute ethanol administration and acute allopregnanolone administration on spontaneous hippocampal pyramidal cell neural activity.
abstract: We investigated the effect of acute ethanol administration and acute allopregnanolone administration on spontaneous hippocampal pyramidal cell neural activity. Both agents produced significant reductions in spontaneous firing rate of hippocampal pyramidal neurons at a medium and high doses. Furthermore, blockade of allopregnanolone biosynthesis by preadministration of finasteride, a 5alpha-reductase blocker, prevented ethanol-induced inhibition on hippocampal pyramidal neural activity. The results further demonstrate similar effects of allopregnanolone and ethanol on hippocampal neurophysiology and that allopregnanolone plays a key role in producing ethanol-induced inhibition of hippocampal neural activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: Janelle R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McDaniel
authors.forename: A Leslie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Matthews
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011280:Pregnanolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D011280:Pregnanolone