As this review indicates, the effects of ethanol at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels are myriad and may appear daunting to those outside the field, especially when compared to drugs that act through one predominant molecular target. However, the number of direct and indirect targets of ethanol’s action, while numerous, are still limited enough to allow appreciation of many drug actions that strongly influence circuits and behavior. Furthermore, some targets (e.g., GlyRs, GABA release, NMDARs, GIRK, BK, and SK) mediate ethanol effects on several neurons and synapses throughout the brain. By abandoning a “single-target” view of ethanol’s actions and instead examining which molecules are altered by ethanol in which cells, investigators are beginning to piece together the intoxicating, abuse-promoting, and toxic actions of the drug. With the adoption of new techniques for cellular and circuit manipulation, along with sophisticated measures of neuronal function in vivo and in reduced preparations, researchers can link ethanol’s effects at all levels to behavioral changes brought about by this widely used and abused drug. This rapidly evolving field is providing information that will be valuable in addressing the large public health problem created by this small drug.
