Ethanol, the psychoactive constituent of alcohol, has been used recreationally for tens of thousands of years and is one of the largest health burdens on society.In order to fully understand the effects of alcohol on behavior and thus enable the development of efficacious treatments, it is necessary to understand the actions of alcohol at the molecular level. It is remarkable how little is known about alcohol’s molecular targets, in view of alcohol’s burden on public health and its long-term and widespread use.Considerable progress has been made in defining binding cavities for alcohol in several proteins, including ion channels.
Alcohol’s effects on the brain are diverse and include changes in levels and function of neurotransmitters, receptors, enzymes, and other molecules, culminating in synaptic changes in brain circuitry regulating compulsivity and inhibition.Alcohol’s propensity for modifying the neural landscape is reflected by its many responsive molecules and signaling pathways, such as receptors, kinases, scaffolding proteins,neurotransmitters, hormones, chaperones, transcription factors, and cytokines.

References

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