Excitatory amino acid pathways in the brain.

Abstract

The neurochemical techniques used to obtain the results reviewed here take advantage of the fact that chemical neurotransmission requires 1) the presence of the transmitter in the presynaptic element, 2) a synthesizing apparatus for transmitter replenishment, 3) a mechanism for transmitter release, and 4) a mechanism for terminating transmitter action, involving, in the case of excitatory amino acids (EAA), reuptake in the presynaptic element. These techniques alone do not give definitive proof of the transmitter identity, but positive results with any one of them in a neuronal system suggest that the possibility of EAA neurotransmission should be more closely investigated, including also electrophysiological and pharmacological methods.KeywordsSuperior ColliculusExcitatory Amino AcidCochlear NucleusPerforant PathOlfactory CortexThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.