The NMDA receptor is an important subtype glutamate receptor that acts as a nonselective cation channel highly permeable to both calcium (Ca2+) and sodium (Na+). The activation of NMDA receptors produces prolonged increases of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and thereby triggers downstream signaling pathways involved in the regulation of many physiological and pathophysiological proc...

The effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) on KCl-evoked endogenous dopamine (DA) release from slices of rat globus pallidus (GP) was examined. NMDA inhibited the KCl-evoked DA release in a dose-dependent manner. This inhibition was blocked by CPP, an NMDA antagonist. Tetrodotoxin partially antagonized the effect of NMDA. The NMDA-induced inhibition was also partially antagonized by bicuculline ...

Acute administration of a single dose of NMDA on embryonic day (E) 7 or later induces a marked excitotoxic injury in the chick spinal cord, including massive necrotic motoneuron (MN) death. When the same treatment was performed before E7, little, if any, excitotoxic response was observed. Chronic treatment with NMDA starting on E5 prevents the excitotoxic response produced by a later "acute" ad...

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...

1. N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function can be modified by the action of several endogenous and exogenous modulatory processes. In the present study, we report that brief pulses of light potentiate NMDA, but not non-NMDA glutamatergic receptor-mediated whole-cell and single channel currents in rat cortical neurones in vitro. In addition, light also potentiated NMDA receptor-mediated wh...

Cerebellar granule neurons cultured in medium containing a physiological concentration of KCl (5 mM) undergo apoptosis. The cells can be rescued by the in vitro addition of NMDA. The protective effect of NMDA is thought to reflect the in vivo innervation of developing cerebellar granule neurons by glutamatergic afferents. In the current work, we investigated the mechanism of the anti-apoptotic ...