Only high concentrations of ethanol affect GABAA receptors of rat cerebellum granule cells in culture

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 414; no. 3; pp. 273 - 276
• Main Authors: CASAGRANDE, S, CUPELLO, A, PELLISTRI, F, ROBELLO, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier 13.03.2007
• Subjects: Alcohol-Induced Disorders, Nervous System - metabolism; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured; Central Nervous System Depressants - pharmacology; Cerebellar Cortex - drug effects; Cerebellar Cortex - metabolism; Chloride Channels - drug effects; Chloride Channels - metabolism; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ethanol - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - metabolism; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membrane Potentials - physiology; Neural Inhibition - drug effects; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, GABA-A - drug effects; Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Cerebellum; Ethanol; Granule neuron; Rat; Granule cells; Rodentia; Central nervous system; In vitro; Encephalon; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Gabaergic receptor A; GABAA receptors
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2006.12.024

In the experiments described in the present report, we evaluated the effects of ethanol on the activity of GABAA receptors of cerebellar granule cells in culture. Only very high ethanol concentrations (100-300 mM) showed a clear and significant stimulatory effect on the activity of such receptors. This result was unexpected. In fact, previous reports from other groups would have suggested high ethanol sensitivity of at least one population of GABAA receptors expressed by granule cells.