Group items tagged

Glutamate receptors are located in both neurons and glial cells throughout the CNS. The glutamatergic synapse pathways, which are linked to many other neurotransmitter pathways, play a crucial role in a large array of normal physiological functions. The glutamate dysfunction stands out as a key factor in both neurodevelopmental diseases and injury.

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter that widely distributed in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS). As a phylogenetically ancient signaling molecule, 5-HT serves as a target of numerous physiologic regulators, including modulators of gene transcription, neurotrophic factors and steroids.

Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (γ-Aminobutyric acid, GABA) is the predominating inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian CNS. As exogenous GABA cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier, it is synthesized in the GABAergic neurons in the CNS, converted from glutamate, the principal excitatory neurotransmitter, using the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and pyridoxal phosphate as a cofactor.