Actions of the brain’s glutamate system. Glutamate (green circles) exerts its effects by acting on various types of receptors, including the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionic acid receptors (AMPARs), both of which are ion channels, and metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), which are coupled to G-proteins. G-proteins, in turn, indirectly activate protein kinase C (PKC) and activate or inhibit adenyl cyclase (AC), depending on the mGluR and G-protein involved. In the absence of alcohol, glutamate leads to the activation of the postsynaptic neuron and the generation of a new nerve signal.

SOURCE: Clapp, P.; Bhave, S.V.; and Hoffman, P.L. How adaptation of the brain to alcohol leads to dependence: A pharmacological perspective. Alcohol Research & Health 31(4):310–339, 2008.

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Updated: October 2009