Amino Acid Neurotransmitter Receptors
$2.95
3 word format
document in English
psychology
research papers
published 26/11/2007
review : Completed
level : Advanced
requested 1 times
SummaryGlutamate Receptors Glutamate receptors are found throughout the brain and are expressed on both neurons and glia, although not all glutamate receptor subtypes are found on both cell types. Glutamate receptors, sometimes referred to as excitatory amino acid receptors, were initially classified into N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate, and kainate receptors on the basis of their preferential activation by these exogenous agonists. More recently, five categories of glutamate receptors (NMDA, kainate, a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid [AMPA], L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4), and trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid [ACPD] receptors) have been established on the basis of pharmacological, electrophysiological, and molecular biological criteria. The L-AP4 receptor type is defined by its agonist and acts as an inhibitory autoreceptor, while the quisqualate receptors of the previous classification have been subdivided by means of more-specific agonists into AMPA and ACPD receptors. AMPA and Kainate receptors are sometimes collectively referred to as non-NMDA receptors. NMDA, kainate and AMPA receptors are ionotropic glutamate receptors; the L-AP4 and ACPD receptors are grouped as metabotropic receptors. Ionotropic receptors are ligand-gated cation-specific channels that are activated rapidly (milliseconds), whereas metabotropic receptors coupled to G proteins and second-messenger systems function more slowly on a scale of several hundred milliseconds to seconds.
Table of Contents
- AMPA Receptors Recent cloning efforts have clearly demonstrated that AMPA and kainate receptors are distinct receptor complexes, although they can be activated by the same agonists.
- Kainate Receptors Although kainate is an effective agonist of AMPA receptors, it also activates its own distinct class of ionotropic receptors, the kainate-preferring receptors.
- NMDA receptors have a number of distinct recognition sites for endogenous and exogenous ligands, each with discrete binding domains. At present there are at least seven pharmacologically distinct sites through which compounds can alter the activity of this receptor.
- Metabotropic Receptors Not as much is known about the last group of glutamate receptors, the metabotropic receptors.
Most downloaded documents over 30 days in psychology Latest in the category psychology From the same author
knowledge network