Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channels in the Brain: Relevance to Alcohol Intoxication and Withdrawal.

Voltage-sensitive Ca (Ca) channels are the primary route of depolarization-induced Ca entry in neurons and other excitable cells, leading to an increase in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]). The resulting increase in [Ca] activates a wide range of Ca-dependent processes in neurons, including neurotransmitter release, gene transcription, activation of Ca-dependent enzymes, and activation of certain K channels and chloride channels. In addition to their key roles under physiological conditions, Ca channels are also an important target of alcohol, and alcohol-induced changes in Ca signaling can disturb neuronal homeostasis, Ca-mediated gene transcription, and the function of neuronal circuits, leading to various neurological and/or neuropsychiatric symptoms and disorders, including alcohol withdrawal induced-seizures and alcoholism.