The alpha-2A adrenergic receptor (α_2A adrenoceptor), also known as ADRA2A, is an alpha-2 adrenergic receptor

Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor

The alpha-2 adrenergic receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor associated with the Gi heterotrimeric G-protein. It consists of three highly homologous subtypes, including α2A-, α2B-, and α2C-adrenergic. Some species other than humans express a fourth α2D-adrenergic receptor as well...

, and also denotes the human gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

 encoding it.

Role in Central Nervous System

Although the pre-synaptic functions of alpha-2A receptors have been a major focus (see above), the majority of alpha-2 receptors in the brain are actually localized post-synaptic to noradrenergic terminals. Many post-synaptic alpha-2A receptors have important effects on brain function; for example, alpha-2A receptors are localized on prefrontal cortical neurons where they regulate higher cognitive function.

Further reading