The effect of chronic ethanol on glutamate binding in human and rat brain

Quantitative autoradiographic techniques demonstrate that chronic alcohol administration causes a decrease in [3H]-glutamate binding to hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. A 14% decrease in [3H]-glutamate binding in the hippocampal CA1 region is seen both in the rat after five days of ethanol administration and in postmortem hippocampal tissues from alcoholics. In the rat, 24 hr ethanol withdrawal values are intermediate between control and alcohol binding levels. There was no significant effect of ethanol on [3H]-glutamate binding in the cortex or caudate.