Grant K.A.
Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Comparative Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA.
Behav Pharmacol. 1994 Aug;5(4 And 5):383-404. doi: 10.1097/00008877-199408000-00003.
Both data and opinion are beginning to unify a consensus concerning the neurochemical mediation of the effects of ethanol in the CNS. This review of the literature is offered as an introduction to the molecular and cellular aspects of the neurochemical effects of ethanol for behavioral pharmacologists. As such, this review emphasizes the receptor pharmacology of ethanol over its behavioral effects. The unifying principle throughout the review is that ethanol has selective effects at particular ionotropic receptors, including GABA(A), NMDA and 5-HT(3) receptors. Current concepts of how ethanol may selectively interact with these receptor systems are discussed. In particular, the molecular characterizations of these receptors are reviewed to provide a foundation for understanding the differential interaction of ethanol with particular receptor subtypes and integrating data addressing the behavioral actions of ethanol. Extension of the neurochemical effects to behavioral outcomes is explored primarily via drug discrimination procedures. The recent advances that are highlighted include the receptor basis for regional sensitivity to ethanol and potential interactions of ethanol-induced neurochemical activity associated with alcohol intoxication. The integration and understanding of how multiple receptor systems interact to influence a behavioral outcome will remain an important challenge for behavioral pharmacologists interested in the effects of ethanol.
关于乙醇在中枢神经系统中作用的神经化学介导，数据和观点开始形成统一的共识。本文献综述旨在为行为药理学家介绍乙醇神经化学效应的分子和细胞层面内容。因此，本综述更强调乙醇的受体药理学而非其行为效应。贯穿综述的统一原则是，乙醇对特定的离子型受体具有选择性作用，包括GABA(A)、NMDA和5-HT(3)受体。文中讨论了乙醇可能如何与这些受体系统选择性相互作用的当前概念。特别是，对这些受体的分子特征进行了综述，为理解乙醇与特定受体亚型的差异相互作用以及整合有关乙醇行为作用的数据提供基础。主要通过药物辨别程序探索神经化学效应向行为结果的延伸。所强调的近期进展包括对乙醇区域敏感性的受体基础以及与酒精中毒相关的乙醇诱导神经化学活性的潜在相互作用。对于关注乙醇作用的行为药理学家而言，理解多个受体系统如何相互作用以影响行为结果仍将是一项重要挑战。
