Adaptive Effects of Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Neurons to Alcohol

Authors

Jeffrey Sparenborg, Brigham Young University
Dr. Scott Steffensen, Brigham Young University

Keywords

ventral tegmental area, GABA neurons, alcohol, VTA

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

I set out to discover the substrates of the brain that are involved with chronic use of alcohol. My mentor Scott Steffensen had previously found that the GABA neurons in the midbrain, more specifically, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain were susceptible to ethanol administration. This information is only a piece, however, of the puzzle that will eventually show the full picture of how ethanol disrupts our brain’s function. The next piece that my ORCA aimed to delineate was to see what mechanisms in the VTA were changing when the brain became addicted to alcohol i.e., what physiological component is responsible for the tolerance or withdrawal effects of a long-term drinker.

Recommended Citation

Sparenborg, Jeffrey and Steffensen, Dr. Scott (2013) "Adaptive Effects of Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Neurons to Alcohol," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 472.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/472