Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30710570›Full record

ArticleNeuropharmacology2019

Alpha6-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is a highly sensitive target of alcohol.

Fenfei Gao, Dejie Chen, Xiaokuang Ma, Sterling Sudweeks, Jordan T Yorgason, Ming Gao, Dharshaun Turner, Jason Brek Eaton, J Michael McIntosh, Ronald J Lukas and 4 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuropharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. "Unraveling the role ofReceptors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
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  15. Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Fenfei GaoDepartment of Pharmacology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 51504, China; Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Dejie ChenDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA; Department of Neurology, Yunfu People's Hospital, Yunfu, Guangdong, 527300, China.
Xiaokuang MaDepartment of Pharmacology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 51504, China; Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Sterling SudweeksDepartment of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
Jordan T YorgasonDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
Ming GaoDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Dharshaun TurnerDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Jason Brek EatonDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
J Michael McIntoshGeorge E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 84108, USA.
Ronald J LukasDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Paul WhiteakerDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Yongchang ChangDivision of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Scott C SteffensenDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
Jie WuDepartment of Pharmacology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 51504, China; Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA; Department of Neurology, Yunfu People's Hospital, Yunfu, Guangdong, 527300, China. Electronic address: jie.wu@DignityHealth.org.
Barrow Neurological Institute · USBrigham Young University · USGeorge E. Wahlen Department of VA Medical Center · US

Funding

Venoms, Biological Resources, Molecular BiologyP01GM048677 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI MCINTOSH, J MICHAEL · 1993 to 2018
$32.2M
Relevance of α-Conotoxin MII Sensitive Nicotinic Receptor Subtypes to Nicotine AddictionR01DA042749 · NIDA · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · PI WHITEAKER, PAUL · 2017 to 2021
$2.8M
Novel nAChR-Targeted PeptidesR01GM103801 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI MCINTOSH, J MICHAEL · 2012 to 2019
$2.4M
Nicotine and Alcohol Co-DependenceR01DA035958 · NIDA · BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY · PI STEFFENSEN, SCOTT C · 2014 to 2018
$2.0M
Construction and Expression of Concatemeric alpha6beta2* Nicotinic Acetycholine RR21DA026627 · NIDA · ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER · PI WHITEAKER, PAUL · 2009 to 2010
$407k
NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA035958NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA042749NIDA NIH HHS R21 DA026627NIGMS NIH HHS P01 GM048677NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM103801
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a serious public health problem that results in tremendous social, legal and medical costs to society. Unlike other addictive drugs, there is no specific molecular target for ethanol (EtOH). Here, we report a novel molecular target that mediates EtOH effects at concentrations below those that cause legally-defined inebriation. Using patch-clamp recording of human α6*-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α6*-nAChR) function when heterologously expressed in SH-EP1 human epithelial cells, we found that 0.1-5 mM EtOH significantly enhances α6*-nAChR-mediated currents with effects that are dependent on both EtOH and nicotine concentrations. EtOH exposure increased both whole-cell current rising slope and decay constants. This EtOH modulation was selective for α6*-nAChRs since it did not affect α3β4-, α4β2-, or α7-nAChRs. In addition, 5 mM EtOH also increased the frequency and amplitude of dopaminergic neuron transients in mouse brain nucleus accumbens slices, that were blocked by the α6*-nAChR antagonist, α-conotoxin MII, suggesting a role for native α6*-nAChRs in low-dose EtOH effects. Collectively, our data suggest that α6*-nAChRs are sensitive targets mediating low-dose EtOH effects through a positive allosteric mechanism, which provides new insight into mechanisms involved in pharmacologically-relevant alcohol effects contributing to AUD.

Indexed as

AlcoholismAnimalsCell Culture TechniquesCell Line, TumorConotoxinsDopamineDopaminergic NeuronsEthanolHumansMiceMice, Inbred C57BLNeuronsNicotineNicotinic AntagonistsNucleus AccumbensPatch-Clamp Techniquesalpha-conotoxin MIIConotoxinsDopamineEthanolNicotineNicotinic Antagonistsnicotinic receptor alpha6Receptors, NicotinicAlcoholAlpha 6 subunitEthanolNicotinic acetylcholine receptorPatch-clampSH-EP1 cells

Identifiers

PMID30710570
PMCPMC7323585
OpenAlexW2913239621

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.