Chronic ethanol and withdrawal differentially modulate lateral/basolateral amygdala paracapsular and local GABAergic synapses.

ABSTRACT: Withdrawal-related anxiety is cited as a major contributor to relapse in recovering alcoholics. Changes in lateral/basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurotransmission could directly influence anxiety-like behaviors after chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal. We have shown that these treatments enhance BLA glutamatergic function and neurotransmission. However, the BLA GABAergic system tightly controls the expression of anxiety-like behavior, and additional neuroadaptations in this system are potentially important as well. The intrinsic BLA GABAergic system consists of at least two populations of interneurons: local feed-back interneurons scattered throughout the region and feed-forward interneurons concentrated within groups found in the lateral/paracapsular region of the BLA. In the present st

SUBMITTER: Diaz MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3063746 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature