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Neurobiology of Amino Acids, Peptides and Trophic Factors pp 15–33Cite as

Conductance Mechanisms Activated by L-Glutamate

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Part of the book series: Topics in the Neurosciences ((TINS,volume 8))

Abstract

There is little doubt that L-glutamate, and perhaps other similar endogenous compounds, are major excitatory neurotransmitters in the mammalian CNS. Thus the role of excitatory amino acids both in the mediation of fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials (epsps) in numerous pathways, as well as their role in pathophysiological situations, is receiving increasing attention. The surge in scientific interest in this area can be traced to two important developments. First, the receptor classification scheme based on studies by Watkins and colleagues in the spinal cord which defined three receptor subtypes, activated selectively by N-methyl-D-aspartic (NMDA), kainic (KA), and quisqualic (QA) acids [1]. This classification has been particularly useful for studies of the NMDA receptor subtype for which a potent and selective antagonist, 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5), has been available for several years [2]. An important corollary of this classification has been the recognition that L-glutamate acts at more than one receptor type, but with a particularly high affinity for the NMDA receptor [3]. The use of selective agonists and antagonists has also allowed rapid progress in the understanding of the regional and cellular localization of excitatory amino acid receptors oh CNS neurons, as discussed by Drs. Cotman and Fagg in this volume. The second important development has been the use of in vitro preparations, especially dissociated cell cultures for studies of the ion channels linked to these receptor subtypes.

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Authors
  1. Gary L. Westbrook
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  2. Mark L. Mayer
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  3. Ian D. Forsythe
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Washington University School of Medicine, USA

    James A. Ferrendelli , Robert C. Collins  & Eugene M. Johnson ,  & 

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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Westbrook, G.L., Mayer, M.L., Forsythe, I.D. (1988). Conductance Mechanisms Activated by L-Glutamate. In: Ferrendelli, J.A., Collins, R.C., Johnson, E.M. (eds) Neurobiology of Amino Acids, Peptides and Trophic Factors. Topics in the Neurosciences, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1721-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1721-0_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8969-2

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