BK channels reside, at least some of the time, in lipid rafts [56]. Altering the thickness of the bilayer by adjusting the acyl chain length of the component lipids affects the time course of the acute response to alcohol and can transform potentiation to inhibition. BK channels embedded in a thin bilayer are strongly potentiated by alcohol, whereas channels placed in a thicker bilayer are inhibited [47]. Because the channel protein is exactly the same, this is remarkable confirmation of the important role played by lipids in modulating the actions of alcohol.
