There are only a few studies reporting that chronic EtOH exposure can alter GABAergic transmission by effects on GABA release. Short in vitro chronic EtOH exposure (one day) induced a transient decrease in mIPSC duration in cultured cortical neurons. Chronic EtOH exposure did not change mIPSC frequency nor did it produce a substantial cross-tolerance to a benzodiazepine in cortical neurons (Fleming et al. 2009). The results suggest that EtOH exposure in vitro has limited effects on synaptic GABAAR function and action potential-independent GABA release in cultured neurons. This group also investigated the effect of chronic EtOH exposure on GABA release in cultured hippocampal neurons (Fleming et al. 2009). These investigators found that chronic EtOH exposure did not alter mIPSC kinetics and frequencies in hippocampal neurons (Fleming et al. 2009). These results suggest that EtOH exposure in cultured cortical and hippocampal neurons may not reproduce all the effects that occur in vivo and in acute brain slices.
