Ethanol suppresses hippocampal cell firing through a calcium and cyclic AMP-sensitive mechanism

The effects of ethanol were studied intracellularly in hippocampal pyramidal cells in vitro. Ethanol, 50-100 mM, produced a marked suppression of neuronal firing. This effect was blocked by treating the cell with cyclic 3', 5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) or cadmium ions. Ethanol had no effect on the after-hyperpolarizing current. It is concluded that the ethanol-induced reduction of firing rate is due to a calcium-dependent process, and modulated by cAMP.