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Essentials of Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders pp 231–236Cite as

Glutamatergic Pathways and Receptors

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Abstract

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain and is utilized at distinct synapses in the cerebellum. Glutamate released from presynaptic terminals binds to various types and classes of glutamate receptors at pre- and postsynapses. Glutamate receptors are classified as metabotropic (mGluR) or ionotropic (iGluR). iGluRs function as glutamate-gated cation channels and are classified pharmacologically as AMPA-, NMDA-, or kainite-types. AMPA receptors determine synaptic strength, whereas NMDA receptors induce synaptic plasticity. Kainate receptors play multiple roles in regulating synaptic transmission and plasticity. mGluRs are G protein-coupled receptors that modulate postsynaptic signaling by the type I mGluRs through Gq signaling and modulate glutamate release via the type II and III mGluRs acting via Gi/o signaling. Combinatory action among the glutamate receptors coordinates synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Disruption of receptor activities causes various neurological disorders including epilepsy, mental retardation and neurodegenerative diseases, and controlling glutamate receptor activities is used as a therapeutic strategy for these disorders. This chapter covers topics of glutamate receptors and its auxiliary subunits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair (CNNR), Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 295 Congress Avenue BCMM441, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Susumu Tomita

Authors
  1. Susumu Tomita
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Correspondence to Susumu Tomita .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA

    Donna L. Gruol

  2. Department of Integrative Physiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan

    Noriyuki Koibuchi

  3. FNRS, ULB-Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgium

    Mario Manto

  4. Clinical Translational Research, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

    Marco Molinari

  5. Ataxia Unit, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Neuroanatomy and Cerebellar Neurobiology, Department of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Jeremy D. Schmahmann

  6. Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

    Ying Shen

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Tomita, S. (2016). Glutamatergic Pathways and Receptors. In: Gruol, D., Koibuchi, N., Manto, M., Molinari, M., Schmahmann, J., Shen, Y. (eds) Essentials of Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24551-5_29

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