The recent focus on lower alcohol concentrations, promoted by the RFA from NIAAA, will also help to further focus these efforts as the various sites and cellular mechanisms of action are evaluated in the years to come, yielding not only novel scientific insights but also practical results with translational consequences. Importantly, many of the published effects of ethanol on synaptic transmission in the CNS still use very high concentrations of ethanol that are not physiologically relevant. Research on more subtle synaptic (and non-synaptic) effects of lower concentrations of this drug could provide much needed insight into the effects of ethanol on the brain. The identification of novel substrates of alcohol actions in the CNS will provide new avenues to target, interrupt or modify those maladaptive processes that are set in motion by alcohol abuse and result in long-term alcohol use disorders.
