Electrophysiological data showing the acute alcohol effect on neuronal excitability in the murine posterior parietal cortex

It is well established that alcohol interacts with multiple molecular targets, including ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels and intracellular signal proteins, leading to molecular and cellular neuroadaptations in various brain regions, including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum [[1], [2], [3]]. Despite the extensive literature, little is known about the effects of alcohol in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), a cortical region involved in multiple cognitive and executive functions [4,5]. Here, we report data showing the acute alcohol effects on neuronal excitability in pyramidal neurons and interneurons expressed in PPC. Briefly, whole-cell patch clamp recordings in current clamp mode were conducted in coronal brain slices containing PPC. Resting membrane potential, input resistance, action potential (AP) threshold, and frequency were assessed during baseline, following 10 minutes of bath application of alcohol 50 mM, and after 10 minutes of washout. The data show that alcohol negatively modulates the excitability of PPC at the cellular level, as we observed a significant decrease in input resistance and AP frequency, and an increase in rheobase in PPC interneurons. Furthermore, these effects persisted even after 10 minutes of washout, indicating sustained changes in neuronal excitability. Intriguingly, acute alcohol exposure did not alter the neuronal excitability in PPC pyramidal neurons. This set of electrophysiological data may be of interest to investigators who are studying how alcohol effects voltage-gated ion channels.