Ion channels are among the best characterized targets for acute EtOH actions (Lovinger 1997; Vengeliene et al. 2008). Ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) are heteromeric proteins that bind extracellular neurotransmitters or intracellular messengers and transduce that binding energy into opening of an intrinsic ion pore (Collingridge et al. 2009). Among those channels activated by extracellular neurotransmitters there are three classes.
