Eaton SA; Birse EF; Wharton B; Sunter DC; Udvarhelyi PM; Watkins JC; Salt TE; (1993) Mediation of thalamic sensory responses in vivo by ACPD-activated excitatory amino acid receptors. European Journal of Neuroscience 5: 186-189.


The existence of the so-called metabotropic excitatory amino acid receptor has been known for some years. Various functions have been suggested for this receptor, but the lack of selective antagonists for (IS, 3R)-aminocyclopentane dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) has precluded the direct demonstration of a functional role for this receptor in synaptic processes. We describe here a specific antagonism of the excitatory responses of thalamic neurons to ACPD by two novel antagonists, and a parallel antagonism by these compounds of sensory synaptic responses to noxious stimuli of the same neurons. This provides the first direct pharmacological evidence for a functional role of ACPD-sensitive receptors in central neurotransmission, and indicates that these receptors may play an important part in central sensory processes.



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