ETHANOL EFFECTS ON STRIATAL NEURON ACTIVITY

Cellular effects of ethanol were investigated in the rat neostriatum with local perfusion and extracellular, single unit recording techniques. Neuronal activity was modulated specifically as a function of ethanol concentration over a wide test range. At extremely low doses (10-9 and 10-8 M), the neuronal responses to drug perfusion were exclusively excitatory. At the highest doses examined (10-5 and 10-4 M), the results were reversed. In the midrange, a number of apparently ineffective tests were obtained, along with bimodal (excitation followed by depression) responses. The unequivocal responsiveness to ethanol at very low concentrations raises the possibility of a physiological role for the endogenous substance.