title: Modulation of hippocampal long-term potentiation by slow increases in ethanol concentration.
abstract: To determine how acute ethanol intoxication may alter memory processing, we examined the effects of stepwise increases in ethanol on long-term potentiation (LTP) in rat hippocampal slices. LTP was inhibited by acute administration of 60 mM ethanol, but was readily induced if ethanol was increased gradually to 60 mM over 75 min. Administration of 2-amino-5 phosphonovalerate (APV), an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, during the stepwise increase in ethanol inhibited LTP, suggesting involvement of NMDARs in the development of tolerance. However, APV and nifedipine, an inhibitor of L-type calcium channels, failed to inhibit LTP when administered following the slow increase in ethanol. Ethanol-tolerant LTP was inhibited by thapsigargin, suggesting a major role for intracellular calcium release in this form of plasticity. The unique properties of ethanol-tolerant LTP suggest that memories formed during binge drinking are not acquired by standard synaptic mechanisms and that acute tolerance may involve the induction of novel mechanisms to maintain function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid, Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Zorumski
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Izumi
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D000431:Ethanol; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D009543:Nifedipine