N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are ion channels activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate in the mammalian brain and are important in synaptic function and plasticity, but are also found in extrasynaptic locations and influence neuronal excitability. There are different NMDA receptor subtypes which differ in their single-channel conductance. Recently, synaptic plasticity has been studi...

The relative roles of ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA glutamate receptors in supplying excitatory drive to inspiratory (I) augmenting pattern neurons of the ventral respiratory group were studied in anesthetized, ventilated, paralyzed, and vagotomized dogs. Multibarrel micropipettes were used to record simultaneously single-unit neuronal activity and pressure microeject the ...

Human primary and clonal synovial cells were incubated with glutamate receptor agonists to assess their modulating influence on glutamate receptors N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) NR1 and NR2 and inflammatory cytokines to determine potential for paracrine or autocrine (neurocrine) upregulation of glutamate receptors, as has been shown for bone and chondrocytes. Clonal SW982 synoviocytes constitutiv...

Functional and immunocytochemical identification of glutamate autoreceptors of an NMDA type in crayfish neuromuscular junction. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 2893-2899, 1998. N-Methyl--aspartate (NMDA) reduces release from crayfish excitatory nerve terminals. We show here that polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies raised against the mammalian postsynaptic NMDA receptor subunit 1 stain specifically the pr...

Ionotropic glutamate receptors of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype are highly expressed in the central nervous system and are involved in excitatory synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Prolonged activation of NMDA receptors can lead to excitotoxicity, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration occurring in various acute and chronic disorders of the central ne...

The number of receptors opening after glutamate release is critical for understanding the sources of noise and the dynamic range of synaptic transmission. We imaged [Ca2+] transients mediated by synaptically activated NMDA receptors (NMDA-Rs) in individual spines in rat brain slices. We show that Ca2+ influx through single NMDA-Rs can be reliably detected, allowing us to estimate the number of ...

Neuronal migration in the cortex is controlled by the paracrine action of the classical neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. Glutamate controls radial migration of pyramidal neurons by acting primarily on NMDA receptors and regulates tangential migration of inhibitory interneurons by activating non-NMDA and NMDA receptors. GABA, acting on ionotropic GABAA-rho and GABAA receptors, has a dichoto...

Fast excitatory neurotransmission is mediated by activation of synaptic ionotropic glutamate receptors. In hippocampal slices, we report that stimulation of Schaffer collaterals evokes in CA1 neurons delayed inward currents with slow kinetics, in addition to fast excitatory postsynaptic currents. Similar slow events also occur spontaneously, can still be observed when neuronal activity and syna...

Optimal function of neuronal networks requires interplay between rapid forms of Hebbian plasticity and homeostatic mechanisms that adjust the threshold for plasticity, termed metaplasticity. Numerous forms of rapid synapse plasticity have been examined in detail. However, the rules that govern synaptic metaplasticity are much less clear. Here, we demonstrate a local subunit-specific switch in N...

Elevations of the levels of N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG) and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) are associated with myelin loss in the leucodystrophies Canavan's disease and Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease. NAAG and NAA can activate and antagonize neuronal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, and also act on group II metabotropic glutamate receptors. Oligodendrocytes and their precursors have r...