Other studies have compared post-mortem human brain tissue derived from alcoholics and non alcoholics (Lewohl et al., 1997, Lewohl et al., 2000). NMDA receptor NR1, NR2A, and NR2B subunit mRNA expression in both the superior frontal and primary motor cortices was significantly lower in alcoholic individuals with cirrhosis of the liver than either non-alcoholic controls or alcoholics without co-morbid disease (Ridge et al., 2008). Studies using post-mortem human brain tissue bypass the questions of relating animal models to humans. However, using post-mortem brain tissue does not allow for examination of electrophysiological effects of alcohol or controlled exposure to alcohol on gene expression. In addition, factors including gender, brain pH, age of death, ethnicity, history of medication, and post-mortem interval also contribute to variability among post-mortem samples (Hynd et al., 2003, Preece and Cairns, 2003).
