Receptors and transmission in the brain-gut axis. II. Excitatory amino acid receptors in the brain-gut axis.
In the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in academic and pharmaceutical interest in central integration of vago-vagal reflexes controlling the gastrointestinal tract. Associated with this, there have been substantial efforts to determine the receptor-mediated events in the dorsal vagal complex that underlie the physiological responses to distension or variations in the composition of the gut contents. Strong evidence supports the idea that glutamate is a transmitter in afferent vagal fibers conveying information from the gut to the brain, and the implications of this are discussed in this themes article. Furthermore, both ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors mediate pre- and postsynaptic control of glutamate transmission related to several reflexes, including swallowing motor pattern generation, gastric accommodation, and emesis. The emphasis of this themes article is on the potential therapeutic benefits afforded by modulation of these receptors at the site of the dorsal vagal complex.
Hornby
P J
PJ
Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. phornb@lsuhsc.edu
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D018846:Excitatory Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000502:physiology; D007422:Intestines / Q000502:physiology*; D017459:Receptors, Amino Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000502:physiology; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000502:physiology
D018846:Excitatory Amino Acids; D017459:Receptors, Amino Acid; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; D018698:Glutamic Acid