NMDA
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2008-06-29T21:03:46Z
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{{Chembox new
| ImageFile = NMDA.svg
| IUPACName = ''N''-methyl-D-aspartic acid
| OtherNames =
| Section1 = {{Chembox Identifiers
| CASNo = 6384-92-5
| PubChem = 22880
| SMILES = [C@@H](CC(O[H])=O)(C(O[H])=O)N([H])C([H])([H])[H]
| MeSHName = NMDA
}}
| Section2 = {{Chembox Properties
| Formula = C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>9</sub>NO<sub>4</sub>
| MolarMass = 147.13 D
| Appearance =
| Density =
| MeltingPt =
| BoilingPt = 549.62
}}
| Section3 = {{Chembox Hazards
| Solubility =
| MainHazards =
| FlashPt =
| Autoignition =
}}
}}
'''NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid)''' is an [[amino acid]] derivative acting as a specific [[agonist]] at the [[NMDA receptor]], and therefore mimics the action of the [[neurotransmitter]] [[glutamate]] on that receptor. In contrast to glutamate, NMDA binds to and regulates the above receptor only, but not other glutamate receptors.
NMDA is a water-soluble synthetic substance that is not normally found in biological tissue. It was first synthesized in 1960s. NMDA is an [[excitotoxin]]; this trait has applications in behavioral neuroscience research. The body of work utilizing this technique falls under the term "lesion studies." Researchers apply NMDA to specific regions of an (animal) subject's brain or spinal cord and subsequently test for the behavior of interest, such as [[Operant conditioning|operant behavior]]. If the behavior is compromised, it suggests the destroyed tissue was part of a brain region that made an important contribution to the normal expression of that behavior.
==Antagonists==
{{mainarticle|NMDA receptor antagonist}}
Examples of [[Receptor_antagonist|antagonists]] of the NMDA receptor are [[APV (NMDAR antagonist)|APV]], [[Amantadine]], [[dextromethorphan]], [[ketamine]], [[phencyclidine]] (PCP), [[riluzole]], [[memantine]], and [[kynurenic acid]], the only known endogenous antagonist. They are commonly referred to as ''[[NMDA receptor antagonist]]s''.
==Forms==
The structural formula of NMDA pictured above is written down as the neutral form. At physiological pH both carboxyl groups are deprotonated.
==Neuronal development==
A 2008 PNAS paper notes: "How the billions of synapses in the adult mammalian brain are precisely specified remains one of the fundamental questions of neuroscience. Although a genetic program is likely to encode the basic neural blueprint, much evidence suggests that experience-driven activity through NMDA receptors wires up neuronal circuits"[http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/14/5597?etoc]
==References==
* {{cite journal |author=Watkins J, Jane D |title=The glutamate story |journal=Br J Pharmacol |volume=147 Suppl 1 |issue= |pages=S100–8 |year=2006 |pmid=16402093 |doi=10.1038/sj.bjp.0706444}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal
| author=Mathias-Costa Blaise, Ramanathan Sowdhamini, Metpally Raghu Prasad Rao and Nithyananda Pradhan
| title=Evolutionary trace analysis of ionotropic glutamate receptor sequences and modeling the interactions of agonists with different NMDA receptor subunits
| journal= J. Mol. Model.
| year=2004
| volume=10(5-6)
| pages=305–16
| pmid=15597199
| url=http://www.springerlink.com/link.asp?id=xm6g9qru2u8bbygn
}}
{{Neuroscience-stub}}
{{Glutamate_receptor_ligands}}
[[Category:Neurotransmitters]]
[[Category:Acronyms]]
[[fr:NMDA]]
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[[ja:N-メチル-D-アスパラギン酸]]
[[pl:NMDA]]