Ligand-gated ion channels in the central nervous system (CNS) are implicated in numerous conditions with serious medical and social consequences. For instance, addiction to nicotine via tobacco smoking is a leading cause of premature death worldwide (World Health Organization) and is likely caused by an alteration of ion channel distribution in the brain. Chronic nicotine exposure in both roden...

The GluD2 receptor is a fundamental component of postsynaptic sites in Purkinje neurons, and is required for normal cerebellar function. GluD2 and the closely related GluD1 are classified as members of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) superfamily on the basis of sequence similarity, but do not bind l-glutamate. The amino acid neurotransmitter D-Ser is a GluD2 receptor ligand, and endog...

Much is still unknown about the long-term effects of repeated, sub-lethal exposure to organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents, such as soman (GD), on learning and memory tasks and related protein expression in the hippocampus. In the present study, guinea pigs were exposed to sub-lethal doses of GD for 10 days and cognitive performance assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) up to 88 days post-ex...

GluN2B (GluRepsilon2/NR2B) subunit is involved in synapse development, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive function. However, its roles in synaptic expression and function of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in the brain remain mostly unknown because of the neonatal lethality of global knock-out mice. To address this, we generated conditional knock-out mice, in which GluN2B was ablated exclusively in hip...

The effects of long-term alcohol consumption on the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway and N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptor 1 (GluN1) subunits in the mesocorticolimbic system remain unclear. In the present study, rats were allowed to consume 6% (v/v) alcohol solution for 28 consecutive days. Locomotor activity and behavioral signs of withdrawal were observed. Phosphor...

BACKGROUND Sepsis-induced neuroinflammation plays an important role in sepsis-related brain dysfunction. However, the molecules that are targeted during neuroinflammation resulting from sepsis-induced brain dysfunction remain unclear. Herein, we tried to investigate the expression and roles of NMDA receptor subunits during sepsis-related brain dysfunction. METHODS Sepsis was induced by cecal ...

Pharmacologic inactivation or genetic deletion of adenosine A2A receptors protects ischemic neurons in adult animals, but studies in neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (H-I) are inconclusive. The present study in neonatal piglets examined the hypothesis that A2A receptor signaling after reoxygenation from global H-I contributes to injury in highly vulnerable striatal neurons where A2A receptors are enri...

NMDA receptor subunits change during development and their synaptic expression is modified rapidly after synaptic plasticity induction in hippocampal slices. However, there is scarce information on subunits expression after synaptic plasticity induction or memory acquisition, particularly in adults. GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B NMDA receptor subunits were assessed by western blot in 1) adult rats t...

It is widely accepted that NMDA receptors (NMDAR) are required for learning and memory formation, and for synaptic plasticity induction. We have previously shown that hippocampal GluN1 and GluN2A NMDAR subunits significantly increased following habituation of rats to an open field (OF), while GluN2B remained unchanged. Similar results were obtained after CA1-long-term potentiation (LTP) inducti...

approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Kathy R. Magnusson As the aging population continues to grow the world over, age related complications become more and more apparent among the elderly population. One such complication is age associated memory impairment, which makes the elderly more dependent on caregivers early on. NMDA receptors in the brain are ...