NMDA Receptor Agonists: Small Molecules and Peptides

NMDA receptors are expressed alongside AMPA receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses, where they initiate a two-component excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP). The activation of AMPA receptors produces a current that has rapid onset and decay, while activation of NMDA receptors leads to a current with slower onset and decay. The slow decay of NMDA-mediated currents is due to the slow dissociation of glutamate from NMDA receptors, compared with AMPA receptors. Unlike ...