Electrophysiological approaches to studying ethanol targets

Abstract

In this paper, we describe two approaches to the study of alcohol action in the nervous system. The first approach involves the use of model systems to elucidate the nature of the interactions between ethanol and membrane elements. In this approach, it is common to use model targets which may not actually prove to be physiologically relevant. We describe data obtained from Aplysia studies and oocyte expression studies which use this approach. A second approach examines the effects of ethanol on elements known to underlie some aspect of behavior altered by the drug, in the hope that the altered function accounts for the behavioral effect. We describe data obtained from isolated peptide-releasing nerve terminals of the rat neurohypophysis, which uses this approach.