Ethanol, memory, and hippocampal function: A review of recent findings

For well over a century, ethanol was believed to exert its effects on cogni tion and behavior by producing a ubiquitous depression of central nervous s ystem activity. A general disruption in brain function was consistent with the belief that ethanol's effects on cognition and behavior were also quite general. Substantial evidence now indicates that ethanol produces a host o f selective effects on neural activity, resulting in regional differences i n ethanol's effects in the brain. Consistent with such evidence, recent res earch suggests that ethanol's effects on cognition and behavior are not as global as previously assumed. The present paper discusses evidence that man y of ethanol's effects on learning and memory stem from altered cellular ac tivity in the hippocampus and related structures. Potential mechanisms for ethanol's disruption of hippocampal function are reviewed. Evidence suggest s that ethanol disrupts activity in the hippocampus by interacting directly with hippocampal neurons and by interacting with critical hippocampal affe rents. Hippocampus 2000; 10:88-93. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.