Effects of ethanol on visual unit activity in the thalamus.

Details

• Creators:
  Revzin, A.M.
• Corporate Creators:
  Civil Aeromedical Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Office of Aviation Medicine
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Alcohol--Physiological Effect Alcohol Effects Birds Birds As Laboratory Animals Brain Dosage Ethanol Laboratory Animals Peripheral Vision Physiological Aspects Thalamus Toxicology Vision

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• Publication/ Report Number:
  FAA-AM-78-2 ; DOT/FAA/AM-78/2
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
• Abstract:
  The investigator studied the effects of ethanol on the spontaneous activity of single neurons in functionally differentiated subnuclei of a posterior thalamic visual projection area, nucleus rotundus, in the anesthetized pigeon. Low doses of ethanol, 0.05 - 0.10 ml/kg (producing blood levels of about 0.005 - 0.010%) , inhibited activity in anterior rotundus but had complex excitatory-inhibitory effects on posterior rotundal cells. Nonvisual dorsal thalamic cells, and 'lateral geniculate' neurons were inhibited by ethanol but threshold doses (0.25 - 0.40 ml/kg) were far higher than those for the rotundal cells (0.05 ml/kg).
  
  These differing dose-response curves for visual and nonvisual thalamic neurons suggest:
  
  1.low doses of ethanol may seriously impair peripheral visual functions;
  
  2.The behavioral effects of ethanol are highly dose-dependent;
  
  3.Effects of low doses of ethanol may not be extrapolated from high-dose effects since high-dose effects may mask effects dominant at low doses;
  
  4.The effects of a given dose of ethanol may vary widely and unpredictably among individuals.
  
  Thus, the notorious unpredictability of ethanol-induced changes in behavior or task performance may be the inevitable consequence of the reported differential dose-response effects on single neurons.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:ed19c378b8825e8529552368e3ae1ecc23aee3ca1be40bccfd1e5893de140a18
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21094/dot_21094_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 394.41 KB ]