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Neuropharmacology > Excitatory Amino Acid Transmitters > Flashcards

Excitatory Amino Acid Transmitters Flashcards

1
Q

What is the primary neurotransmitter released by glutamatergic neurons?

A

Glutamate

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2
Q

What are Excitatory Amino Acids (EAAs)?

A

A group of excitatory neurotransmitters including

  • glutamate
  • aspartate
  • cystate
  • homocystate
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3
Q

Which EAA do most excitatory receptors release?

A

The majority release glutamate

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4
Q

Do glutamatergic neurons respect Dale’s law?

A

No, some dopamine neurons can also release glutamate

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5
Q

Why are EAAs the most abundant chemicals in the brain?

A

Because they are the main excitatory input in the brain

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6
Q

Describe glutamate synthesis?

A
  1. Krebbs cycle produces glucose > 2. glucose is brought into the vesicle via vesicular glutamate transporter (which is a proton anti-transporter, bringing 1 glu in for every 1 H+ out) > after glutamate is released, surrounding astrocytes terminate the signal via EAAT; astrocyte stores glutamate >4. astrocyte modifies glutamate to glutamine via glutamine synthase (when glucose is low, glutamine is lent to neuron via system A transporter >5. when it’s time to make more glutamate, glutamine is transformed back into glutamate via glutaminase
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7
Q

What are the four EAA receptors?

A
  1. NMDA
  2. AMPA
  3. Kainate
  4. mGluR (7 types, from mGluR1…mGluR7, barring mGluR5)
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8
Q

What does ischemia mean?

A

Lack of blood flow?

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9
Q

What does anoxia mean?

A

Lack of oxygen

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10
Q

What do ischemia and anoxia both lead to?

A

excitotoxicity

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11
Q

What does the term ionotropic refer to?

A

That the receptor is a ligand-gated receptor

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12
Q

What does the term metabotropic refer to?

A

That the receptor is a G-Protein coupled receptor

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13
Q

Which of the EAA receptors are ligand-gated?

A

NMDA, AMPA and Kainate

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14
Q

Which of the EAA receptors are metabotropic?

A

mGluR

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15
Q

What is an autoreceptor?

A

A receptor that regulates the future release of a NT

- NT binds to autoreceptor along with post-synaptic neuron, which almost always reduces NT release

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16
Q

Where are autoreceptors always located?

A

On the presynaptic neuron

17
Q

Where are EAA receptors located?

A

Either on pre- or post-synaptic membrane

18
Q

What does a glutamate autoreceptor do?

A

Inhibits both glutamate synthesis as well as its release

19
Q

Which of the EAA receptors is glutamate an agonist for?

A

mGluR

- these are made up of Gq, Gi and Gnot

20
Q

Describe the binding of glutamate to an AMPA receptor

A
  1. Glu binds to active site

2. Na+ and K+ flow in (therefore we can conclude that the reaction is excitatory because of Na+)

21
Q

Describe the binding of glutamate to an NMDA receptor

A
  1. glutamate binds to active site
  2. cell membrane becomes permeable to Na+, K+ and Ca2+ (causes an enhanced or prolonged effect due to Ca2+’s second messenger cascade)
  3. glycine is required to bind in order to remove magnesium channel blocker
22
Q

What is so special about NMDA receptors?

A
  1. They have magnesium ions sitting in the channel, because they are attracted to the negative charge on the inside of the membrane. Magnesium acts as a channel blocker (meaning that under normal -70mV conditions, no ion flow passes through the channel)
  2. Along with the target binding site, NMDA receptors also have binding sites for zinc, PCP, ketamine, glycine and polyamine
23
Q

What do PCP drugs do?

A

They are channel blockers

24
Q

What does long-term potentiation mean?

A

An increase in post-synaptic response to to increased stimulation; produces long-term change

25
Q

What are the three NMDA subunits?

A
  1. NR1
  2. NR2
  3. NR3
    - need a combo of these three to form pentomere (ex. NR1, NR1, NR2, NR3 or NR2, NR3, NR3, NR3, etc)
26
Q

What happens in the brain when we go from a high frequency stimulation to a low frequency stimulation?

A

We maintain a high EPSP (it is firing at a high frequency because it was potentiated)

27
Q

What is an EPSP?

A

Excitatory post-synaptic potential

- is the result of high stimulation

28
Q

What does tetanus mean?

A

A high frequency stimulation

29
Q

Which brain area is the seat of long-term potentiation?

A

The hippocampus (this is why the hippocampus is the centre of long-term memory)

30
Q

How did Pavlov’s dog learn that a bell predicts food?

A

Because the bell was a reliable predictor of food
- the association is due to reduction of non-food signals being brought to the neuron, while potentiating the signal that is associated with food

31
Q

What is another way to think about long-term potentiation?

A

“Cells that fire together wire together”

Neuropharmacology (18 decks)

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