Ethanol alters the frequency, amplitude, and decay kinetics of Sr2+-supported, asynchronous NMDAR mEPSCs in rat hippocampal slices.

To discriminate between pre- and postsynaptic effects of ethanol on N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) signaling in hippocampus, we adapted the technique of Sr(2+) substitution to the hippocampal blind slice patch-clamp preparation. Hippocampal slices were isolated from 12- to 20-day-old rats that were killed in accordance with University of Texas Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee guidelines. NMDAR miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) were evoked from CA1 pyramidal neurons in the presence of Sr(2+) (4 mM), causing the synchronous EPSC observed in the presence of Ca(2+) to be supplanted by asynchronous mEPSCs.