Activation and Inhibition of human NMDA Channels on Nanion’s SyncroPatch® 384PE

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are a member of the ionotropic glutamate receptor family, ligandgated ion channels that mediate the majority of excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian CNS. They are expressed primarily in the CNS but also in peripheral locations such as pancreatic islet cells, sensory nerve terminals in skin and cardiac ganglia1. Seven subunits of the NMDA receptor have been identified, NR1, NR2A-D and NR3A-B2, they assemble as a tetramer2 consisting of two NR1 subunits and either two NR2 subunits or a combination of NR2 and NR3 subunits3. Activation of NMDA receptors requires the simultaneous binding of glutamate and glycine3.