L-glutamic acid as a neurotransmitter in the CNS

Centrally administered N-methyl-d-aspartate evokes the adrenal secretion of noradrenaline and adrenaline by brain thromboxane A2-mediated mechanisms in rats

Plasma adrenaline mainly originated from adrenaline-containing cells in the adrenal medulla, while plasma noradrenaline reflects the release from sympathetic nerves in addition to the secretion from noradrenaline-containing cells in the adrenal medulla. The present study was undertaken to characterize the source of plasma catecholamines induced by centrally administered N-methyl-d-aspartate with regard to the brain prostanoid, using urethane-anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) administered N-methyl-d-aspartate (1.0, 5.0, 10.0 nmol/animal) dose-dependently elevated plasma levels of noradrenaline and adrenaline. The N-methyl-d-aspartate (5.0 nmol/animal, i.c.v.)-induced elevation of both catecholamines was reduced by dizocilpine maleate (5 nmol/animal, i.c.v.), a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist. Indomethacin (0.6 and 1.2 micromol/animal, i.c.v.), an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, dose-dependently reduced the N-methyl-d-aspartate (5.0 nmol/animal, i.c.v.)-induced elevation of both catecholamines. The N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced response was dose-dependently attenuated by furegrelate (0.9 and 1.8 micromol/animal, i.c.v.), an inhibitor of thromboxane A2 synthase. Furthermore, the acute bilateral adrenalectomy abolished the N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced responses, indicating that the source of increase in plasma noradrenaline evoked by N-methyl-d-aspartate is due to secretion from the adrenal gland and not due to release from sympathetic nerve terminals. These results suggest that centrally administered N-methyl-d-aspartate induces the secretion of noradrenaline and adrenaline from adrenal medulla by the brain thromboxane A2-mediated mechanisms in rats.

Glutamate transporters in platelets: EAAT1 decrease in aging and in Alzheimer's disease

Platelets release glutamate upon activation and are an important clearance system of the amino acid from blood, through high-affinity glutamate uptake, similar to that described in brain synaptosomes. Since platelet glutamate uptake is decreased in neurodegenerative disorders, we performed a morphological and molecular characterization of platelet glutamate transporters. The three major brain glutamate transporters EAAT1, EAAT2 and EAAT3 are expressed in platelets, with similar molecular weight, although at lower density than brain. A Na(+)-dependent-high-affinity glutamate uptake was competitively inhibited by known inhibitors but not by dihydrokainic acid, suggesting platelet EAAT2 does not play a major role in glutamate uptake at physiological conditions. We observed decreased glutamate uptake V(max), without modification of transporter affinity, in aging, which could be linked to the selective decrease of EAAT1 expression and mRNA. Moreover, in AD patients we found a further EAAT1 reduction compared to age-matched controls, which could explain the decrease of platelet uptake previously described. Platelet glutamate transporters may be used as peripheral markers to investigate the role of glutamate in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Low-affinity kainate receptors and long-lasting depression of NMDA-receptor-mediated currents in rat superficial dorsal horn

In an in vitro spinal cord slice preparation whole cell electrophysiological recordings of rat superficial dorsal horn neurons responding differentially to glutamate (Glu) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) were investigated systematically for the role of kainate (KA) receptors in modulating their activity. In these neurons, coapplication of Glu and NMDA, as well as application of Glu immediately before NMDA, induced long- and short-lasting depressions of NMDA-induced currents as well as depression of NMDA-receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents. KA applied before NMDA mimicked Glu-induced attenuating effects. Furthermore, the low-affinity KA receptor antagonist 5-nitro-6,7,8,9- tetrahydrobenzo[G]indole-2,3-dione-3-oxime potentiated Glu-induced NMDA-receptor-mediated currents in neurons responding differentially to Glu and NMDA. These results provide evidence for a novel mechanism, which may relate to classical long-term depression, involving low-affinity KA receptors in long-lasting modulation of NMDA-receptor-mediated currents. This implies a physiological role of KA receptors in long-term modulation of sensory transmission in the superficial dorsal horn of rat spinal cord.

A post mortem study on neurochemical markers of dopaminergic, GABA-ergic and glutamatergic neurons in basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in Parkinson syndrome

Functional models of the circuitry of the basal ganglia have recently been proposed to account for the vast spectrum of motor disorders associated with the loss of anatomical or neurochemical integrity within the basal ganglia. On the basis of these hypothetical models, hypokinetic disorders such as Parkinson's disease, are thought to be associated with excessive tonic and phasic inhibition of the output from the basal ganglia to the thalamus. In the present study we have attempted to determine the validity of the proposed model by measuring neurochemical markers of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission in post mortem human brain tissue. We have determined the concentrations of the excitatory neurotransmitters aspartate/glutamate and of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in 18 relevant regions of the thalamocortical circuits of the basal ganglia of patients who had manifested Parkinsonian symptoms, and compared them with controls of individuals who had died without any history of neurological or psychiatric disorders and had no neuropathological abnormalities. Additionally, the receptor subtype for the excitatory amino acid N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) was studied in the same brain tissue in which neurotransmitter concentrations had been analysed as neurochemical markers of post-synaptic excitatory neurotransmission. In patients who had manifested Parkinsonian symptoms, glutamate and aspartate levels were found to be unchanged in all examined brain regions. In contrast, the binding of [3H]MK-801, which identifies the NMDA receptor, was reduced in the head (-42%) and body (-38%) of the caudate nucleus. In parkinsonian patients, GABA levels were diminished by 36% in the centromedial thalamus, compared to control values. These results do not confirm the changes in neurotransmitter concentrations predicted according to the model, although we cannot rule out that the predicted changes might have been observed if the Parkinsonian group had been further subdivided into groups diagnosed on the basis of the patients' clinical picture (akinetic-rigid, tremor-dominant, equivalent type) and compared with the control group.

Interactive role of l-glutamate and vasopressin, at the level of the PAG area, for cardiovascular tone and stereotyped behaviour

The periaqueductal gray (PAG) area may modulate cardiovascular functions and trigger several stereotyped behavioural responses through a mechanism mediated by the interaction of L-glutamate with arginine vasopressin (AVP). Moreover, only the NMDA- but not the non-NMDA-glutamergic subtype receptors might participate in the control of these neurovegetative functions also modifying the homeostasis of the hypothalamic-neurohypophysis system. This latter effect may be due to the tight connections between the PAG area neurons to the more cephalic nuclei within the brainstem.