introduction: activation of n-methyl-d-aspartate (nmda) glutamate receptors in the nucleus accumbens is a component of drug-induced reward mechanism. in addition, nmda receptors play a major role in brain reward system and activation of these receptors can change firing pattern of dopamine neurons. blockade of glutamatergic neurotransmission reduces the expression of conditioned place preferenc...

Along with ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors, the cystine/glutamate antiporter x(c)(-) may play a critical role in CNS pathology. High levels of extracellular glutamate inhibit the import of cystine, resulting in the depletion of glutathione and a form of cell injury called oxidative glutamate toxicity. Here we show that a portion of the cell death associated with NMDA receptor-in...

NMDA receptors are found in both synaptic and extrasynaptic locations on neurons. NMDA receptors also can be found on neurons in early stages prior to synaptogenesis, where they may be involved in migration and differentiation. Extrasynaptic NMDA receptors typically are associated with contacts with adjacent processes such as axons and glia. Extrasynaptic NMDA receptor clusters vary in size and...

Introduction: Ecstasy is an amphetamine derivative, which its use has been consistently increasing over the past years. Ecstasy interacts with the glutamatergic system and it is known that glutamate receptors have a key role in learning and memory. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of ecstasy and glutamatergic system on learning and memory. Methods: Fifty-six male Wis...

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are glutamate-gated cation channels that mediate excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. In addition to glutamate, NMDA receptors are also activated by coagonist binding of the gliotransmitter, D-serine. Neuronal NMDA receptors mediate activity-dependent blood flow regulation in the brain. Our objective was to determine whether NMDA rece...

Dopamine D1-like receptors, composed of D1 and D5 receptors, have been documented to modulate glutamate-mediated fast excitatory synaptic neurotransmission. Here, we report that dopamine D1 receptors modulate NMDA glutamate receptor-mediated functions through direct protein-protein interactions. Two regions in the D1 receptor carboxyl tail can directly and selectively couple to NMDA glutamate r...

In the neuromuscular junction of the crayfish, the excitatory neurotransmitter is glutamate. There are two types of glutamate receptors, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA receptors, both of which have been demonstrated to be present in the opener muscle and deep abdominal extensor muscle. The crayfish fast extensor muscle, however, is an understudied preparation whose receptor types are ...

Molecular processes regulating the gain of NMDA receptors modulate diverse physiological and pathological responses in the CNS. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), which neighbor NMDA receptors and which can be coactivated by synaptically released glutamate, couple to several different second messenger pathways, each of which could target NMDA receptors. In CA3 pyramidal cells we...

N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are the only neurotransmitter receptors whose activation requires two distinct agonists. Heterotetramers of two GluN1 and two GluN2 subunits, NMDA receptors are broadly distributed in the central nervous system, where they mediate excitatory currents in response to synaptic glutamate release. Pore opening depends on the concurrent presence of glycine, which...

BACKGROUND Clinical studies suggest that intraoperative administration of the clinical remifentanil formulation Ultiva (GlaxoWellcome GmbH & Co, Bad Oldesloe, Germany) increases postoperative pain and postoperative analgesic requirements, but mechanisms remain unclear. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are thought to play a major role in development of postoperative pain and opiate toleranc...