Carol C. Cunningham, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biochemistry
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083
Telephone: Office (336) 716-4254

Education

• Oklahoma State University, B.S., M.S. (1961, 1963)
• University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Ph.D. (1968)

Effects of Alcohol on Brain Metabolism and Neurotransmitter Synthesis

Administration of ethanol to rats causes changes in the extent of cerebral uptake of glucose, with the effects related to the dose of alcohol provided. These observations are being extended to determine the effects of different doses of ethanol on the rates of glucose utilization in defined brain regions. The technique of ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is being utilized in these studies to measure the rate of glucose disappearance and the rates of synthesis of the neurotransmitters, aspartate, glutamate and GABA. The effects of ethanol on the rates of synthesis of other glucose metabolites are also being followed to determine the impact on the pathways for utilization of glucose in cerebral tissue. These effects of different doses of ethanol on the steady-state concentrations of these same metabolites is also being determined to evaluate whether acute consumption of alcohol causes transient changes in the concentration of the amino acid neurotransmitters. These studies are being carried out with a long range objective to correlate changes in cerebral metabolism with alcohol-induced behavior modifications.

 Selected Recent Publications (1997-1993)

 Cahill A.  Baio DL.  Ivester P.  Cunningham CC.  Differential effects of chronic ethanol consumption on hepatic mitochondrial and cytoplasmic ribosomes.  Alcoholism, Clinical & Experimental Research.  20(8):1362-1367, 1996 Nov.
 
Ivester P.  Lide MJ.  Cunningham CC.  Effect of chronic ethanol consumption on the energy state and structural stability of periportal and perivenous hepatocytes.  Archives of Biochemistry & Biophysics.  322(1):14-21, 1995 Sep 10.
 
Cahill A.  Baio DL.  Cunningham CC.  Isolation and characterization of rat liver mitochondrial ribosomes.  Analytical Biochemistry.  232(1):47-55, 1995 Nov 20.
 
Cunningham CC.  Spach PI.  Alcoholism and myocardial energy metabolism.  Alcoholism, Clinical & Experimental Research.  18(1):132-7, 1994 Feb.
 
Coleman WB.  Cahill A.  Ivester P.  Cunningham CC.  Differential effects of ethanol consumption on synthesis of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial encoded subunits of the ATP synthase.  Alcoholism, Clinical & Experimental Research.  18(4):947-50, 1994 Aug.