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NMDA

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	Topics NMDA Topic Home NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid) is an amino acidAmino acid In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amine and carboxyl functional groups.... derivative acting as a specific agonistAgonist An agonist is a molecule that selectively binds to a specific receptor and triggers a response in the cell.... at the NMDA receptorNMDA receptor The NMDA receptor is an ionotropic receptor for glutamate.... , and therefore mimics the action of the neurotransmitterNeurotransmitter Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between a neuron and another... glutamate on that receptor. In contrast to glutamate, NMDA binds to and regulates the above receptor only, but not other glutamate receptors. NMDA is a water-soluble synthetic substance that is not normally found in biological tissue. It was first synthesized in 1960s. NMDA is an excitotoxin; this trait has applications in behavioral neuroscience research. The body of work utilizing this technique falls under the term "lesion studies." Researchers apply NMDA to specific regions of an (animal) subject's brain or spinal cord and subsequently test for the behavior of interest, such as operant behaviorOperant conditioning Operant conditioning is the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form of behavior.... . If the behavior is compromised, it suggests the destroyed tissue was part of a brain region that made an important contribution to the normal expression of that behavior. Antagonists Examples of antagonistsReceptor antagonist In medicine and biology, a receptor antagonist is a ligand that inhibits the function of an agonist and Inverse Agonists fo... of the NMDA receptor are APVAPV (NMDAR antagonist) Summary APV is a selective NMDA receptor antagonist that competitively inhibits the active site of NMDAR.... , AmantadineAmantadine Amantadine is an antiviral drug that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1976 for the treatment of Influenza... , dextromethorphanDextromethorphan Dextromethorphan is an antitussive drug that is found in many over-the-counter cold and cough preparations, usually in the f... , ketamineKetamine Ketamine is a general dissociative anaesthetic for human and veterinary use.... , phencyclidinePhencyclidine Phencyclidine , abbreviated PCP, is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogeni... (PCP), riluzoleRiluzole Riluzole is a drug used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.... , memantineMemantine Memantine is the first in a novel class of Alzheimer's disease medications acting on the glutamatergic system.... , and kynurenic acidKynurenic acid Kynurenic acid is a product of the normal metabolism of aminoacid L-tryptophan.... , the only known endogenous antagonist. They are commonly referred to as NMDA receptor antagonistNMDA receptor antagonist NMDA receptor antagonists are a class of anesthetics that work to antagonize, or inhibit the action of, the N-methyl d-aspar... s. Forms The structural formula of NMDA pictured above is written down as the neutral form. At physiological pH both carboxyl groups are deprotonated. Bibliography