Experiments using 10 mM ethanol suggest that the synaptic input onto VTA dopamine (DA) neurons may be altered at this level. At a concentration of 10 mM, ethanol has been found to increase the frequency of spontaneous EPSCs in putative VTA DA neurons by 15–29% [19, 20]. At this concentration, the frequency of spontaneous IPSCs on putative VTA DA neurons has also been observed to decrease by 19% [21].
