Table 2.
Clinical presentations | Ethanol's glutamatergic effects |
---|---|
Euphoria and dependence | Increased mesoaccumbenal dopamine neurotransmission. Upregulation of glutamate receptors. |
Blackout | Impaired long-term potentiation. Acute attenuation of NMDA receptor neurotransmission on context of chronic up-regulation of NMDA receptor. |
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, cerebellar degeneration and cerebral atrophy | NMDA receptor supersensitvity leading to excitotoxicity. Decreased magnesium, zinc, thamine. Increased nitrous oxide production, hypercortisolemia. |
Fetal alcohol syndrome | Block of NMDA receptor's trophic effects. |
Decreased glutamate receptors density postnatally. |