Activation of glutamate receptors has been shown to mediate a large number of neuronal processes such as long-term potentiation and ischemic damage. In addition to neurons and glia, glutamate receptors may occur on cerebral endothelial cells (CECs). The aim of the present study was to determine which glutamate receptors are expressed in CECs and to demonstrate the functional presence of such ch...

To evaluate the possible contribution of dorsal striatal glutamate receptors to motor behavior, circling responses were observed in rats following unilateral intrastriatal microinjections of the agonist, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or the antagonist, 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (APH). The role of dopamine (DA) in NMDA-produced circling also was evaluated. In experiment 1, an NMDA dose of ...

NMDA receptors are ligand-gated ion channels permeable to calcium and play a critical role in excitatory synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, and excitotoxicity. They are heteromeric complexes of NR1 combined with NR2A-D and/or NR3A-B subunits that are activated by glutamate and glycine and whose activity is modulated by allosteric modulators. In this study, patch-clamp recordings from h...

The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) may play a major role in opiate dependence, and central NMDA receptors are reported to influence opiate tolerance and dependence. Therefore, we investigated the effects of the selective mu-opioid receptor agonist [D-Ala2-N-Me-Phe4,Gly-ol5]-enkephalin (DAMGO) on membrane properties of rat NAcc neurons and on events mediated by NMDA and non-NMDA glutamate receptors, u...

The D-isomer of aspartate is both a substrate for glutamate transporters and an agonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. To monitor the behavior of these receptors and transporters in intact tissue we synthesized a new photo-labile analogue of D-aspartate, N-[(6-nitrocoumarin-7-yl)methyl]-D-aspartic acid (Ncm-D-aspartate). This compound was photolyzed rapidly (t(1/2)=0.11 micros) by UV...

Cerebellar granule cells are susceptible to the excitotoxin glutamate, which acts at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, as well as the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+), the active cytotoxic metabolite of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Paradoxically, preincubation of cultured cerebellar granule cells with low concentrations of NMDA or glutamate markedly...

The interactions between the glycine and glutamate binding sites of the NMDA receptor have been studied in outside-out patches and synapses from hippocampal neurons in culture using rapid drug application techniques. Desensitization of NMDA receptor-mediated currents elicited by glutamate in newly excised outside-out patches was reduced in the presence of saturating concentrations of glycine. T...

Introduction Glutamate is the major fast excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate central nervous system. Glutamate receptors that are ligand-gated ion channels are classified on the basis of their sensitivity to the selective agonists N-methyl-11-aspartate (NMDA), a-arnino-3-hydroxy-S-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionic acid (AMPA) and kainate. NMDA receptors play a key role in the generation of...

Copyright © SLACK Incorporated ABSTRACT Anti–N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis may present with a wide variety of early neuropsychiatric symptoms such as psychosis, insomnia, catatonia, and agitation, and at times in the absence of fever. The literature highlights the vital role of psychiatrists in early recognition and timely treatment of this condition. Presence of immunoglobu...

An increasing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that diminished function of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and the associated increase in glutamate release and overstimulation of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/kainate receptors are critical elements of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Here, we describe a halogenated derivative of the aromatic ...