title: Mediation of thalamic sensory input by both NMDA receptors and non-NMDA receptors.
abstract: Excitatory amino acids such as L-glutamate and L-aspartate are well established as neurotransmitter candidates in the mammalian central nervous system, and three types of receptor for these substances have been proposed, characterized by the agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainate and quisqualate. All these receptors have been suggested to have synaptic roles in excitatory transmission in the brain. Here I demonstrate that NMDA receptors play a crucial role in the observed response of ventrobasal thalamus (VB) neurones to natural stimulation of somatosensory afferents, but do not appear to be responsible for the short-latency excitation seen on electrical stimulation of the afferents which is apparently mediated by excitatory amino-acid receptors of the non-NMDA type. This result indicates an involvement of NMDA and non-NMDA receptors in the responses of VB neurones to stimulation of somatosensory somatosensory afferents, depending on the mode of stimulation of the pathway.
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D007736:Kynurenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010069:Oxadiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D016318:Quisqualic Acid; D051381:Rats; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D011955:Receptors, Drug / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014738:Vibrissae
chemical_list: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007608:Kainic Acid; D007649:Ketamine; D007736:Kynurenic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D010069:Oxadiazoles; D016318:Quisqualic Acid; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D011955:Receptors, Drug; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D014633:Valine