Journal of Neural Transmission· 2014Q1· Review
Glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the healthy brain
- 1,002citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Glutamate, the brain's most abundant amino acid, functions as the primary excitatory neurotransmitter, with its extracellular levels tightly regulated by transporters to prevent excitotoxicity.
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Key points
- Glutamate is the most abundant free amino acid in the brain.
- It is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system.
- Glutamate transporters are critical for removing glutamate from extracellular fluid, preventing excitotoxicity.
- The blood-brain barrier shields the brain from glutamate present in the blood.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Glutamate is the most abundant free amino acid in the brain and is at the crossroad between multiple metabolic pathways. Considering this, it was a surprise to discover that glutamate has excitatory effects on nerve cells, and that it can excite cells to their death in a process now referred to as "excitotoxicity". This effect is due to glutamate receptors present on the surface of brain cells. Powerful uptake systems (glutamate transporters) prevent excessive activation of these receptors by continuously removing glutamate from the extracellular fluid in the brain. Further, the blood-brain barrier shields the brain from glutamate in the blood. The highest concentrations of glutamate are found in synaptic vesicles in nerve terminals from where it can be released by exocytosis. In fact, glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It took, however, a long time to realize that. The present review provides a brief historical description, gives a short overview of glutamate as a transmitter in the healthy brain, and comments on the so-called glutamate-glutamine cycle. The glutamate transporters responsible for the glutamate removal are described in some detail.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Neural Transmission, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience