Skip to main content
Advertisement

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Visit jpet on Facebook
  • Follow jpet on Twitter
  • Follow jpet on LinkedIn
Research ArticleNEUROPHARMACOLOGY

Ethanol Enhances γ-Aminobutyric Acid Responses in a Subpopulation of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons: Role of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors

Zhiguo Nie, Samuel G. Madamba and George R. Siggins
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics May 2000, 293 (2) 654-661;
Zhiguo Nie
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Samuel G. Madamba
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
George R. Siggins
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) may be a key area in the rewarding effects of abused drugs. We previously showed that low ethanol concentrations decreased both N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-induced and kainate-induced currents in NAcc core neurons (Nie et al., 1994). To explore the effects of ethanol on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) responses in NAcc, we used intracellular voltage-clamp recordings and locally applied GABA in a slice preparation containing the NAcc. Ethanol (11–200 mM) had no effect on resting membrane properties, but 11, 22, 44, 100, and 200 mM ethanol increased GABA currents in 17, 33, 45, 50, and 22% of cells, respectively. Superfusion of low glutamate concentrations that had no direct effect on membrane properties enhanced ethanol potentiation of GABA currents in more than half the NAcc cells. Neither α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid/kainate receptor nor NMDA receptor antagonists affected the percentage of cells showing ethanol enhancement of GABA responses or the degree of ethanol enhancement of GABA currents in NAcc neurons. However, in ethanol-sensitive cells, the metabotropic receptor antagonist α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG) blocked the ethanol enhancement of GABA currents. In addition, the metabotropic receptor agonist trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid enhanced GABA responses in 50% of cells tested, an effect blocked by MCPG. These data suggest that NAcc core neurons possess both ethanol-sensitive and -insensitive GABA receptors and that glutamate can mimic and enhance the ethanol potentiation of GABA currents in many of these neurons. Furthermore, the ethanol potentiation of GABA currents may involve metabotropic glutamate receptors, perhaps via a phosphorylation mechanism that regulates ethanol sensitivity of GABA receptors in some NAcc neurons.

Footnotes

  • Send reprint requests to: Dr. G. R. Siggins, CVN-12, Dept. of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037. E-mail:geobob{at}scripps.edu

  • ↵1 This study was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants AA06420 and DA03665.

  • Abbreviations:
    CNS
    central nervous system
    GABA
    γ-aminobutyric acid
    IPSPs
    inhibitory postsynaptic potentials
    NAcc
    nucleus accumbens
    CNQX
    6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione
    d-APV
    dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate
    AMPA
    α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid
    MCPG
    α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine
    trans-ACPD
    trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid
    RMP
    resting membrane potential
    PKC
    protein kinase C
    NMDA
    N-methyl-d-aspartate
    ACSF
    artificial cerebrospinal fluid
    TTX
    tetrodotoxin
    • Received May 25, 1999.
    • Accepted December 27, 1999.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
View Full Text

JPET articles become freely available 12 months after publication, and remain freely available for 5 years. 

Non-open access articles that fall outside this five year window are available only to institutional subscribers and current ASPET members, or through the article purchase feature at the bottom of the page. 

 

  • Click here for information on institutional subscriptions.
  • Click here for information on individual ASPET membership.

 

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics: 293 (2)
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Vol. 293, Issue 2
1 May 2000
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Ethanol Enhances γ-Aminobutyric Acid Responses in a Subpopulation of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons: Role of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Research ArticleNEUROPHARMACOLOGY

Ethanol Enhances γ-Aminobutyric Acid Responses in a Subpopulation of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons: Role of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors

Zhiguo Nie, Samuel G. Madamba and George R. Siggins
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics May 1, 2000, 293 (2) 654-661;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Research ArticleNEUROPHARMACOLOGY

Ethanol Enhances γ-Aminobutyric Acid Responses in a Subpopulation of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons: Role of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors

Zhiguo Nie, Samuel G. Madamba and George R. Siggins
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics May 1, 2000, 293 (2) 654-661;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Iclepertin (BI 425809) in schizophrenia-related models
  • D1 agonist vs. methylphenidate on PFC working memory
  • Obesity Thwarts Preconditioning in TBI
Show more Neuropharmacology

Similar Articles

Advertisement
  • Home
  • Alerts
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   RSS

Navigate

  • Current Issue
  • Fast Forward by date
  • Fast Forward by section
  • Latest Articles
  • Archive
  • Search for Articles
  • Feedback
  • ASPET

More Information

  • About JPET
  • Editorial Board
  • Instructions to Authors
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Customized Alerts
  • RSS Feeds
  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions
  • Terms & Conditions of Use

ASPET's Other Journals

  • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
  • Molecular Pharmacology
  • Pharmacological Reviews
  • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
ISSN 1521-0103 (Online)

Copyright © 2022 by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics