Chunk #22 — Acute effects of ethanol on GABAA receptors — Direct effects on GABAA receptor subtypes — High dose effects of ethanol (>30 mM) on phasic inhibition
restored GABA sensitivity to near normal affinity while retaining ethanol and volatile anesthetic insensitivity in vitro (Borghese et al. 2006b). Importantly, gene knockin mice with both mutations show decreased sensitivity to ethanol potentiation (80 mM) and recover more quickly from ethanol’s motor ataxic effects, but do not differ on many other ethanol-related behaviors (Werner et al. 2006). These studies implicate a molecular site of action on GABAA receptors found synaptically that contributes to high dose ethanol action.
