in the hippocampus (Maler et al., 2005). After a 48-hour withdrawal period, NR1, NR2A, and NR2B mRNA levels returned to baseline in the hippocampus and cortex (Follesa and Ticku, 1995), and protein levels were returned to baseline in the amygdala (Roberto et al., 2006) and the cortex (Kalluri et al., 1998). The changes observed in NMDA receptor expression and function are believed to contribute to the development of alcohol tolerance and dependence, and the CNS hyperexcitability and excitotoxicity observed during alcohol withdrawal (Nelson et al., 2005, Nagy, 2008a, Nagy, 2008b)
