BACKGROUND Zinc distributes widely in the central nervous system, especially in the hippocampus, amygdala and cortex. The dynamic balance of zinc is critical for neuronal functions. Zinc modulates the activity of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) through the direct inhibition and various intracellular signaling pathways. Abnormal NMDAR activities have been implicated in the aetiology of m...

BACKGROUND Glutamatergic receptor [N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)] alterations within cortex, hippocampus, and striatum are linked to schizophrenia pathology. Maternal immune activation (MIA) is an environmental risk factor for the development of schizophrenia in offspring. In rodents, gestational timing of MIA may result in distinct behavioral outcomes in adulthood, but how timing of MI...

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of excitatory glutamate receptors plays critical roles in embryonic and adult synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. The receptor is a heteromultimer of core subunits, NR1, and one or more regulatory subunits, NR2A-D. Protein phosphorylation can regulate NMDA receptor function (Lieberman, D. N., and Mody, I. (1994) Nature 369, 235-239; Wang, Y...

Enhanced NR2A subunit expression and decreased NMDA receptor decay time at the onset of ocular dominance plasticity in the ferret. The NMDA subtype of glutamate receptor is known to exhibit marked changes in subunit composition and functional properties during neural development. The prevailing idea is that NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic responses decrease in duration after the peak of cortica...

In neuronal synapses, PDZ domains [postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/Discs large/zona occludens-1] of PSD-95 proteins interact with C termini of NMDA receptor [NMDAR (NR)] subunits, linking them to downstream neurotoxic signaling molecules. Perturbing NMDAR/PSD-95 interactions with a Tat peptide comprising the nine C-terminal residues of the NR2B subunit (Tat-NR2B9c) reduces neurons' vulnerabili...

Several lines of evidence suggest that a hypoglutamatergic condition may induce a phenotypic loss of cortical parvalbumin (PV)-positive GABAergic interneurons, such as that observed in brain tissue of schizophrenic subjects. However, it is not known whether the loss of PV interneurons is a consequence of the hypoglutamatergic condition or a secondary aspect of the disease. We characterized the ...

Cocaine-induced plasticity of glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays an important role in brain adaptations that promote addictive behaviors. However, the mechanisms responsible for triggering these synaptic changes are unknown. Here, we examined the effects of acute cocaine application on glutamatergic synaptic transmission in rat midbrain slices. Cocaine...

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) play a distinct role at excitatory glutamatergic synapses, where they are usually localized with other ionotropic glutamate receptors, including tors. Two features are essential to their specialized roles in synaptic plasticity and the excitodependent magnesium block, the removal of which requires depolarization of the membrane potential. Second, upon activation, the NMD...

NMDA-receptor-mediated mechanisms may be crucial in addictive states, e.g. alcoholism, and provide a target for the novel anti-craving compound acamprosate. Here, the pharmacological effects of acamprosate on NMDA-receptors were studied using electrophysiological techniques in different cell lines in vitro. Additionally, a possible modulation of brain NMDA-receptor subunit expression was examin...