N-Methyl D-Aspartic Acid Receptors: An Overview
Dilek Daşdelen1, Aylin Kayaaltı1, İlknur Altuntaş1, Oytun Erbaş1
1ERBAS Institute of Experimental Medicine, Illinois, USA & Gebze, Turkey
Keywords: Glutamate, ionotropic glutamate receptors, NDMA receptors, neurotransmitters
Abstract
In the human brain, glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter and is widely distributed in the central nervous system. The vast majority of excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system is mediated by glutamate and its receptors, mainly ligand-gated ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs). N-methyl D-aspartic acid receptors (NDMARs) differ from other iGluRs in that they exhibit voltage-dependent blocks by Mg2+ , provide high permeability for Ca2+ , and require simultaneous binding of glycine and glutamate for activation. They are widely distributed at all stages of development and are critically involved in normal brain function, including neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. Therefore, NMDAR dysfunction causes various neuropsychological disorders and diseases. In this review, the properties, working principles, and role of NDMARs in neurodegenerative disorders were explained.
Cite this article as: Daşdelen D, Kayaaltı A, Altuntaş İ, Erbaş O. N-Methyl D-Aspartic Acid Receptors: An Overview. JEB Med Sci 2022;3(2):118-124.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.