Acute ethanol exposure also has effects on glial cells in the dorsal striatum (Adermark and Bowers 2016). Adermark and coworkers (2006) found that the input resistance and capacitance measured in striatal astrocytes was reduced during exposure to concentrations of ethanol associated with intoxication (Adermark and Lovinger 2006). This effect may involve inhibition of potassium channels and/or gap junctions, with the net effect of uncoupling the large astrocytic network normally seen in striatum. Ethanol also alters expression of neurotransmitter transporters in glia, with implications for glutamatergic transmission in striatum (Wu, Lee et al. 2010). The ethanol effects on astrocytes may also contribute to alterations in the extracellular levels of taurine and dopamine (Ericson, Chau et al. 2011). More work is needed to determine how ethanol effects on astroglia contribute to acute ethanol actions on striatal circuitry and behavior, as reviewed by Ruby et al. (Ruby, Adams et al. 2010).
