Effects of ethyl alcohol on central neurons.-

A method was developed for the electrophoretic application of ethyl alcohol through one capillary in a multibarrel microelectrode array in the vicinity of the recording electode. Effects of ethyl alcohol and angiotensin II applied by means of electrophoretic ejection and ethanol administered intravenously on the frequency of extracellularly recorded action potentials of brain cells were determined. A total of 87 neurons in four different parts of the brain in female hooded rats anesthetized with a mixture of urethan and chloralose were tested. Results reveal that a most sensitive neurons appear to be those of the lateral hypothalamus within the medial forebrain bundle. Cells of the zona incerta and thalamus were also sensitive to ethanol. Cells of the cerebral cortex appear to be relatively less sensitive. Many of the ethanol sensitive cells also responded to angiotensin II and when tested the effects were potentiated by Na.