Disinhibition of rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons from noradrenergic inhibition during rising blood ethanol.

Abstract

on mouse cerebellar (1) and hippocampal (2) neurons, the ethanol was locally applied, either to the neuron being recorded or to an isolated portion of brain. While local application minimizes problems associated with ethanol's distribution and metabolism, and its indirect effects in distant brain areas, much of ethanol's influence on behavior may require an interaction between physiological changes in multiple brain areas and various pharmacokinetic activities. Therefore, in the present study we examined ethanol's effects after parenteral administration. The cerebellar Purkinje neuron was chosen for study because of ethanol's wellknown effects on cerebellar function. This neuron also has several advantages as a test system because its circuitry and physiology, including noradrenergic innervation from the nucleus locus coeruleus (3), have been well described (4). Behavioral and clinical data suggest important differences in ethanol's actions when blood ethanol is constant compared with