title: BK channel and alcohol, a complicated affair.
abstract: Alcohol is a fast acting molecule that alters behavior within a few minutes of absorption. Its rapid behavioral impact suggests early action on ion channels. Of all voltage-gated potassium ion channels, BK channels, a subcategory of potassium channels characterized by their large unitary conductance, and by their capacity of being activated synergistically by membrane potential and intracellular free calcium, are unique due to their high sensitivity to alcohol. In this review, we discuss BK channels structure and function, and how they help us understand the various ways BK channel mediates alcohol's effects on neuronal function and on behavior in the striatum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Gilles Erwan
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels