Alcohol abuse is associated with sleep problems, which are often linked to circadian rhythm disturbances. However, there is no information on the direct effects of ethanol on the mammalian circadian clock. Acute ethanol inhibits glutamate signaling, which is the primary mechanism through which light resets the mammalian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Glutamate and light also inhibit circadian clock resetting induced by non-photic signals, including serotonin. Thus, we investigated the effects of acute ethanol on both glutamatergic and serotoninergic resetting of the SCN clock in vitro. We show that ethanol dose-dependently inhibits glutamate-induced phase shifts and enhances serotonergic phase shifts. The inhibition of glutamate-induced phase shifts is not affected by excess glutamate, glycine or D-serine, but is prevented by excess brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is known to augment glutamate signaling in the SCN and to be necessary for glutamate/light-induced phase shifts. Thus, ethanol may inhibit glutamate-induced clock resetting at least in part by blocking BDNF enhancement of glutamate signaling. Ethanol enhancement of serotonergic phase shifts is mimicked by treatments that suppress glutamate signaling in the SCN, including antagonists of glutamate receptors, BDNF signaling and nitric oxide synthase. The combined effect of ethanol with these treatments is not additive, suggesting they act through a common pathway. Our data indicate further that the interaction between serotonin and glutamate in the SCN may occur downstream from nitric oxide synthase activation. Thus, acute ethanol disrupts normal circadian clock phase regulation, which could contribute to the physiological and psychological problems associated with alcohol abuse. Keywords suprachiasmatic nucleus; circadian rhythms; ethanol; glutamate; serotonin; brain-derived neurotrophic factorThe development of alcoholism and the likelihood of relapse drinking are associated with poor sleep quality and the deleterious effects of ethanol on sleep (Landolt and Gillin, 2001;Brower et al., 2001). Alcohol consumption reduces sleep quality (Kubota et al., 2002;Ehler and Slawecki, 2000;Landolt et al., 1996), which is closely linked to the circadian system. For example, the inability to fall asleep at the desired time can result from improper synchronization *Corresponding author: Dept. Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, phone: (865) 974-2722, FAX: (865)-974-6306, rprosser@utk.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal per...