Summary
Sulfur containing amino acids such as homocysteic acid (HCA), cysteinsulfinic acid, homocysteinsulfinic acid are released by depolarization of slices from various rat brain regions in a Ca++-dependent manner. L-HCA excites caudate neurons through their N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor and potentiates their cortically evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials.35S-methionine can label the releasable pool of HCA, and thus appears as a precursor of HCA. Thus HCA is a transmitter candidate which acts predominantly on the NMDA receptor.
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Do, K.Q., Herrling, P.L., Streit, P. et al. Release of neuroactive substances: homocysteic acid as an endogenous agonist of the NMDA receptor. J. Neural Transmission 72, 185–190 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01243418
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01243418