Molecular Diversity of Glutamate Receptors and Implications for Brain Function

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 258; no. 5082; pp. 597 - 603
• Main Author: Nakanishi, Shigetada
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 23.10.1992; American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Agonists; Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; Aminoacid receptors (glycine, glutamate, gaba); Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - physiology; Cell receptors; Cell structures and functions; Cloning, Molecular; Complementary DNA; Electrophysiology; function; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glutamate; Glutamate receptors; glutamic acid; heterogeneity; Humans; Messenger RNA; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular Sequence Data; N methyl D aspartate receptors; Neural transmission; Neural transmission regulation; Neurons; Neurotransmitter receptors; Oxadiazoles; Physiological aspects; Receptors; Receptors, AMPA; Receptors, Glutamate - chemistry; Receptors, Glutamate - physiology; Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - chemistry; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - physiology; Receptors, Neurotransmitter - chemistry; Receptors, Neurotransmitter - physiology; Regulation; Science In Japan; Synaptic transmission; AMPA receptor; Molecular structure; Central nervous system; Glutamate receptor; Review; NMDA receptor; Brain (vertebrata); Kainate receptor
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1329206

The glutamate receptors mediate excitatory neurotransmission in the brain and are important in memory acquisition, learning, and some neurodegenerative disorders. This receptor family is classified in three groups: the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA)-kainate, and metabotropic receptors. Recent molecular studies have shown that many receptor subtypes exist in all three groups of the receptors and exhibit heterogeneity in function and expression patterns. This article reviews the molecular and functional diversity of the glutamate receptors and discusses their implications for integrative brain function.