Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39358985›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of pharmacology2025

Chronic ethanol exposure in mice evokes pre- and postsynaptic deficits in GABAergic transmission in ventral tegmental area GABA neurons.

Eric H Mitten, Anna Souders, Ezequiel Marron Fernandez de Velasco, Carolina Aguado, Rafael Luján, Kevin Wickman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Butyrate Is Associated with the Antidepressant Effects ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. GABAMedComm · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Eric H MittenGraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7017-9083
Anna SoudersDepartment of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Ezequiel Marron Fernandez de VelascoDepartment of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Carolina AguadoInstituto de Biomedicina de la UCLM (IB-UCLM), Departamento de Ciencias Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Biosanitario, Albacete, Spain.
Rafael LujánInstituto de Biomedicina de la UCLM (IB-UCLM), Departamento de Ciencias Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Biosanitario, Albacete, Spain.
Kevin WickmanDepartment of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5179-9540

Funding

Viral Innovation CoreP30DA048742 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI Mark John Thomas · 2020 to 2026
$19.0M
Predoctoral Training of NeuroscientistsT32NS105604 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI A DAVID REDISH · 2018 to 2026
$3.5M
Alcohol-related suppression of GIRK channel activity in the basal amygdala: a link to plasticity of glutamatergic neurotransmission and withdrawal-associated behavior?R01AA027544 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI WICKMAN, KEVIN D · 2020 to 2024
$1.7M
Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha SBPLY/21/180501/000064NIAAA NIH HHS AA027544NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA027544NIDA NIH HHS DA048742NIDA NIH HHS P30 DA048742NINDS NIH HHS NS105604NINDS NIH HHS T32 NS105604Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and State Research Agency (MCIN/AEI) PID2021-125875OB-I00Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha 2023-GRIN-34187
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeGABAergic neurons in mouse ventral tegmental area (VTA) exhibit elevated activity during withdrawal following chronic ethanol exposure. While increased glutamatergic input and decreased GABA EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We used electrophysiological and ultrastructural approaches to assess the impact of chronic intermittent ethanol vapour exposure in mice on GABAergic transmission in VTA GABA neurons during withdrawal. We used CRISPR/Cas9 ablation to mimic a somatodendritic adaptation involving the GABA KEY

resultsThe frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents was reduced in VTA GABA neurons following chronic ethanol treatment and this was reversed by GABA CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Chronic ethanol weakens the GABAergic regulation of VTA GABA neurons in mice via pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms, likely contributing to their elevated activity during withdrawal and expression of anxiety-related behaviour. As anxiety can promote relapse during abstinence, interventions targeting VTA GABA neuron excitability could represent new therapeutic strategies for treatment of alcohol use disorder.

Indexed as

EthanolGABAergic NeuronsMice, Inbred C57BLSynaptic TransmissionVentral Tegmental AreaAnimalsgamma-Aminobutyric AcidMaleMiceReceptors, GABA-BEthanolgamma-Aminobutyric AcidReceptors, GABA-BalcoholanxietyGABAA receptorGABAB receptorGIRK channelwithdrawal

Identifiers

PMID39358985
PMCPMC11831720

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.