Glycine is an important inhibitory transmitter in the brainstem and spinal cord. Glycine receptors are members of the ligand-gated ion channel family (LGICs) that mediate rapid chemical neurotransmission. The binding of glycine to its receptor produces a large increase in chloride conductance, which causes membrane hyperpolarization. Glycine receptors are anchored at inhibitory chemical synapses by a cytoplasmic protein, gephyrin. The glycine receptor has been used to great advantage in the identification of the binding sites for alcohol on the LGIC family of proteins.