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L-Glutamate and Its AgonistsSynaptic and Ionic Mechanisms in the Central Nervous System

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Neurotransmitters and Cortical Function

Abstract

Since the pioneering studies of Curtis et al. (1960) on spinal neurons, the excitatory amino acids L-glutamate (Glu) and L-aspartate (Asp) have been considered as neurotransmitter candidates in the vertebrate CNS. Both Glu and Asp are present in large quantities in brain nervous tissue (about 10 and 2 mM, respectively) (Berl and Waelsch, 1958; Perry et al., 1981; Schousboe et al., 1975); Glu is released from several cortical areas following stimulation of afferent pathways (Jasper and Koyama, 1969), this release being calcium dependent (see review by Fonnum, 1984); increased Glu release has been observed during electroencephalographic wakefulness (Jasper et al., 1965); and studies in vitro have indicated that Glu is predominantly released from nerve terminals (Potashner, 1978a,b). In addition, it has been shown that Glu and Asp induce large and fast depolarizations when applied onto neurons (Curtis et al., 1972) and low-and high-affinity uptake mechanisms have been demonstrated in neurons and glia for these amino acids (Logan and Snyder, 1972; Balcar and Johnston, 1972).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherches sur l’Epilepsie, INSERM U 97, 75014, Paris, France

    R. Pumain, I. Kurcewicz & J. Louvel

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  1. R. Pumain
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  2. I. Kurcewicz
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  1. McGill University and Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Massimo Avoli  & Pierre Gloor  & 

  2. University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Tomás A. Reader

  3. McGill University and Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Robert W. Dykes

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Pumain, R., Kurcewicz, I., Louvel, J. (1988). L-Glutamate and Its AgonistsSynaptic and Ionic Mechanisms in the Central Nervous System. In: Avoli, M., Reader, T.A., Dykes, R.W., Gloor, P. (eds) Neurotransmitters and Cortical Function. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0925-3_6

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