Effect of ethanol and acetaldehyde on gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in rat brain and liver.

We examined the effect of acute and chronic ethanol administration on brain and liver gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), the effect of pyrazole on the ethanol-GHB interaction, and the effect of acetaldehyde on brain and liver GHB. Ethanol produced a marked increase in liver GHB but had no effect on GHB in brain. The ethanol effect in liver was not blocked by pyrazole. Acetaldehyde had no effect in brain or liver on GHB.