Glutamate receptors in the cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellar vermis of alcoholics

This study tests the hypothesis that glutamate receptors are altered in the brains of alcoholics as a result of chronic alcohol neurotoxicity. Excessive release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate may damage postsynaptic neurons by increasing calcium flux through N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-gated ion channels. Alcohol has opposite effects on the NMDA receptor, depending on the duration of exposure. Acute exposure to alcohol inhibits ion flow through NMDA receptors, whereas chronic exposure upregulates the number of these receptors and thereby increases ion flow. Acute withdrawal from alcohol results in hyperexcitability and seizures in the presence of upregulated NMDA receptors, making postsynaptic neurons vulnerable to excitotoxic damage. For this study, 13 grossly and histologically normal brains from alcoholics and 13 brains from nonalcoholic controls were selected from our brain bank. The two groups were matched for age, postmortem interval, and storage time. Maximal binding and affinities of NMDA receptors were determined by quantitative autoradiography in the cingulate cortex, the cornu Ammonis of the hippocampus, and in the cerebellar vermis. Binding was determined with an agonist, L-[3H]glutamate, with a competitive antagonist, [3H]CGP-39653, and with an antagonist binding in the channel interior, [3H]MK-801. No significant differences were found in receptor densities or affinities between alcoholics and controls. Real differences were not likely to be obscured by nonalcohol-related variables because the groups were closely matched for age, autopsy delay, time in storage, and central nervous system medications. Various diseases causing acute and chronic hypoxia did not significantly affect receptor density or affinity. Liver diseases and thiamine deficiency were excluded. A long-lasting upregulation of the number or affinity of NMDA receptors is not a key feature of chronic alcoholics.