Biological research at NIAAA - National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Perspectives on Current Research

Alcohol Health & Research World,  Fall, 1989  by George Kunos

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Biological Research at NIAAA

The basic biological research in NIAAA's intramural program is conducted in two laboratories, the Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Biology (LMMB) and the Laboratory of Physiologic and Pharmacologic Studies (LPPS). The common goal of these laboratories is to elucidate the biological basis of alcoholism and to understand better the processes by which alcohol can damage various organ system. Using the full range of modern biological methods, investigators in these laboratories analyze biological processes and their modification by alcohol simultaneously at the levels of single molecules, cells, organs, and whole living organisms. Such a multilevel approach can lead to fundamental changes in our understanding of the effects of alcohol on central nervous system function, as demonstrated by the work presented in the following two papers: one by Dr. Forrest F. Weight of the LPPS Section on Electrophysiology, and the other by Dr. Paula L. Hoffman of the LPPS Section on Receptor Mechanisms.

The Laboratory of Physiologic and Pharmacologic Studies Section on Electrophysiology aims to determine how alcohol modifies, the movement of ions into nerve cells, thereby affecting the excitability of these cells. The recent development of powerful electrophysiological techniques has made possible the study of ion flow through the membranes of single, isolated cells. Dr. Weight describes how research using such techniques has revealed an action of ethanol on brain neurons that may contribute to intoxication.

The goal of research in the LPPS Section on Receptor Mechanisms is to understand the biochemical basis of the effects of alcohol on the central nervous system and the changes in brain function that lead to alcohol tolerance and physical dependence. Information between nerve cells is carried by chemical substances--neurotransmitters--that are released from one nerve cell and that interact with specific receptors on another nerve cell. Dr. Hoffman discusses the results of research demonstrating that alcohol interferes with the action of a specific neurotransmitter, glutamate, when it interacts with receptors known as NMDA receptors within the brain. This interaction regulates the flow of calcium ions and produces negative effects on learning and memory development.

This research continues to enhance our understanding of the biological effects of alcohol and has implications for the development of drugs to treat both ethanol intoxication and withdrawal.

GEORGE KUNOS, M.D., PH.D., is chief of the Laboratory of Physiologic and Pharmacologic Studies in the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Maryland.

COPYRIGHT 1989 U.S. Government Printing Office
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