ATTENUATED GLUTAMATE RELEASE DURING ISCHEMIA IN ETHANOL-ADMINISTERED GERBILS

PREVIOUS studies have found an association between prior ethanol consu mption and aggravated stroke outcome. Gerbils were intermittently give n ethanol injections (s.c.) for 21 days at doses of 1 and 4 g/kg. Afte r cessation of injections and appropriate weight gain, subjects underw ent bilateral carotid occlusion while amino acid neurotransmitter leve ls in the hippocampus were monitored. Both the low and high dose ethan ol groups demonstrated significantly decreased glutamate release compa red with saline-treated controls during ischemia (p < 0.05). These res ults are consistent with a long-lasting ethanol-induced decrease in sy naptic density in the hippocampus. That no intergroup differences on h istological or neurobehavioral measures was found may suggest a functi onal dissociation of glutaminergic involvement in the pathogenesis of aggravated stroke outcome with alcoholism.