Most excitatory synaptic transmissions in the central nervous system are mediated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Binding of glutamate released from the presynaptic membrane causes glutamate receptors in the postsynaptic membrane to open, which results in a transient depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane. The AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid) subtype of g...

The importance of AMPA-type glutamate receptors has been demonstrated in neuronal plasticity and in adaptation to drugs of abuse. We studied the involvement of AMPA receptors in social interaction and anxiety and found that in several paradigms of agonistic behavior naïve male mice deficient for the GluR-A subunit- containing AMPA receptors are less aggressive than wild-type littermates. GluR-A...

AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity has been implicated in the selective degeneration of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Motor neurons in vitro are particularly vulnerable to excessive AMPA receptor stimulation and one of the factors underlying this selective vulnerability is the presence of a large proportion of Ca2+ -permeable (i.e. GluR2-lacking) AMPA receptors. Howev...

Transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs) are AMPA receptor auxiliary subunits that influence diverse aspects of receptor function. However, the full complement of physiological roles for TARPs in vivo remains poorly understood. Here we find that double knock-out mice lacking TARPs gamma-2 and gamma-3 are profoundly ataxic and fail to thrive. We demonstrate that these TARPs are cr...

AMPA-type glutamate receptors play a key role in mediating postsynaptic responses of excitatory neurotransmitters. It is now well accepted that AMPA receptors are also present at the presynapse, where they are thought to modulate neurotransmitter release. However, the mechanisms through which they control synaptic vesicle traffic have remained elusive. We used cultured hippocampal neurons and g...

The functional properties of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methy-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptors in different brain regions, such as hippocampus and cerebellum, have been well studied in vitro and in vivo. The AMPA receptors present a unique characteristic in the mechanisms of subunit regulation during LTP (long-term potentiation) and LTD (long-term depression), which are involved in the traf...

Overactivation of ionotropic glutamate receptors has been implicated in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury. Using an in vitro cell injury model, we examined the effects of stretch-induced traumatic injury on the AMPA subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors in cultured neonatal cortical neurons. Recordings made using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique revealed that a subpopulation...

The effects of potassium thiocyanate on the binding of DL-aamino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), and L-glutamate to the AMPA receptor complex were studied in rat brain membranes. Thiocyanate increased the affinity of AMPA receptors for both AMPA and i.-glutamate and decreased the affinity for CNQX. Displacement of [3H]CNQX binding b...

PURPOSE Glutamate has been suggested to regulate the development of retinal neurons, but ontogenic expression of ionotropic glutamate receptors has only recently been characterized in the rat retina. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression patterns of AMPA receptors and to functionally map glutamatergic drive in the developing rabbit retina. METHODS The retinas from New Zealan...