Despite the evidence that NMDAR function and extracellular glutamate levels are increased following chronic EtOH exposure, studies of hippocampal LTP indicate that this form of synaptic plasticity is decreased under the same conditions (Durand and Carlen 1984; Roberto et al. 2002, although see Fujii et al. 2008). Similar results have been obtained in the amygdala (Stephens et al. 2005). It is not yet clear what factors underlie the decrease in LTP, but it is most likely that the loss of plasticity involves mechanisms occurring downstream of NMDAR activation in the LTP induction process.
