Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Mar 12;113:157–168. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.010

Figure 2. State of knowledge about sex differences in ethanol-induced glutamatergic alterations.

Figure 2.

Research investigating glutamatergic projections and alterations in glutamate levels, uptake, and receptor expression implicated in ethanol seeking and exposure for which no sex differences are present (green), for which sex differences have been identified (purple), and for which sex differences have not been investigated (blue). Identification of drug exposure-related sex differences in the glutamate system have been limited primarily to glutamate receptor subunit (Devaud and Morrow, 1999, Devaud and Alele, 2004) and transporter (Alele and Devaud, 2005) expression in the hippocampus and chronic ethanol exposure- induced effects on glutamate release in the amygdala. However, some receptor subunit alterations are observed in both sexes (Devaud and Alele, 2004). Pharmacological manipulation of glutamate uptake in the PFC and NAc also alters ethanol consumption similarly in both males and females Sari et al., 2011, 2013; Qrunfleh et al., 2013; Alhaddad et al., 2014; Rao and Sari, 2014). In general, the roles of specific projections in ethanol-seeking behaviors have not been investigated in females (Gass et al., 2011, Pati et al., 2016, Keistler et al., 2017, Millan et al., 2017, Millan and McNally, 2011).