Dodgy Prefrontal Cortices

I have a dodgy prefrontal cortex, a gammy PFC. Researchers have believed for some time that this state of affairs contributes to impulsive behavior and lack of control over drinking. Recent findings suggest that PFC neuron N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors are particularly sensitive to alcohol concentrations typical of a night on the booze, and that alcohol’s alteration of NMDA receptor function may inhibit normal PFC function.

“The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain that helps us decide whether we should take actions or not,” said John J. Woodward, a professor in the department of neurosciences and the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs at the Medical University of South Carolina. “It weighs the relative risks and benefits of our behavior and normally protects us from risky or dangerous actions like provoking altercations with Neanderthals, or sleeping with any number of unattractive and equally PNC-impaired people on a first-come, first-served basis.” [1]

Woodward, also the corresponding author for the study, explained the operation of ion channels, which act as gates in the neuron membrane that let ions into and out of the cells when appropriate. “We reasoned that alcohol may affect one or more of these ion channel gates, leading to alterations in the function of the prefrontal cortex ... and that this may contribute to an individual's inability to control their drinking,” he said. “This may help to explain why many alcoholics who are ordinarily even reluctant to use public toilets are suddenly happy to have found the nearest tree.” [2]

David Lovinger, chief of the Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said that targeting the NMDA receptor with pharmacological agents might be an effective strategy for treating problems of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, particularly if future research could identify the specific subtype of NMDA affected by alcohol. He expressed surprise at the record number of unsolicited volunteers eager to participate in the study and be injected with alcohol. “Obviously we had to make do with the Sprague-Dawley rats, since the research involved quickly removing and slicing subject brains to record electrical activity,” Lovinger said. “But it was quite moving to see the number of people who said they didn’t care.” [3]




1. John J. Woodward did not say the latter part of this statement.
2. Nor this.
3. David Lovinger did not say this.