altered following chronic EtOH exposure (e.g. Smothers et al. 1997). The factors that underlie this variability in findings may include the type of preparation examined, the duration and pattern of EtOH exposure, and whether assays were performed just after the end of drug exposure or after withdrawal had been allowed to proceed. With respect to kainate receptors, Chandler and collaborations (Chandler et al. 1999) observed no change in receptor expression in cultured cortical neurons following chronic EtOH exposure. In contrast, enhancement of both subunit protein and kainate receptor function was found in cultured hippocampal neurons (Carta et al. 2002), and chronic intermittent EtOH increased KAR-mediated synaptic transmission in basolateral amygdala (Lack et al. 2009).
