Responses of midbrain dorsal raphe neurons to ethanol studied in brainstem slices

The effects of ethanol on midbrain dorsal raphe (DR) neurons were studied using the brainstem slice preparations. Ethanol in low doses (100 mg% and 200 mg%) exerted more excitation than inhibition on DR cells. Higher doses of ethanol produced inhibition in the majority of DR neurons. The present data indicate that the effects of ethanol were biphasic with low concentrations tending to excite and high concentrations to inhibit DR neurons.