MICROELECTROPHORETIC APPLICATION OF SCH-23390 INTO THE LATERAL SEPTALNUCLEUS BLOCKS ETHANOL-INDUCED SUPPRESSION OF LTP, IN-VIVO, IN THE ADULT RODENT HIPPOCAMPUS

Ethanol intoxication produces deficits in the acquisition of new infor mation and blocks the induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), a candidate neurophysiological correlate for learning and memor y. We report that, in adult rats, local application of the dopamine (D A) D-1 receptor antagonist SCH-23390 into the lateral septum (LS) bloc ks ethanol-induced suppression of LTP and alterations of paired-pulse responses in the dentate gyrus. This suggests a primary role for an ex tra-hippocampal circuit and neurotransmitter system mediating ethanol' s ability to suppress LTP.