title: NMDA receptor pathways as drug targets.
abstract: Since the mid 1980s, there has been a great deal of enthusiasm within both academia and industry about the therapeutic potential of drugs targeting the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors. That early promise is just beginning to translate into approvable drugs. Here we review the reasons for this slow progress and critically assess the future prospects for drugs that act on NMDA receptor pathways, including potential treatments for some major disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease, for which effective therapies are still lacking.
authors.affiliation: EVOTEC Neurosciences GmbH, Schackenburgallee 114, D-22525 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: Ruth M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: McKernan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D015195:Drug Design; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000639:trends*; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000639:trends*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate