title: Acute inhibition of corticostriatal synaptic transmission in the rat dorsal striatum by ethanol.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ethanol on synaptic transmission in the dorsal striatum in rat brain slices. The effects of ethanol on corticostriatal synaptic transmission were tested by whole-cell voltage-clamp recording. Ethanol significantly decreased corticostriatal excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in a dose-dependent manner (10-200 mM). However, the paired-pulse ratio was not affected by the ethanol (100 mM) treatment. The amplitude of miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs) from these neurons, recorded without cortical stimulation, was decreased, but the frequency of the mEPSCs remained unchanged. Ethanol also decreased currents induced by the local pressure injection of glutamate into dorsal striatal neurons. These results suggest that ethanol inhibits glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the dorsal striatum, possibly through a postsynaptic mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-701, South Korea.
authors.forename: Se Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Ki Jung
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyeong Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Seong Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Sang June
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Ki-Wug
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004594:Electrophysiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol