title: Glutamate, learning and dementia-selection of evidence.
abstract: Initial suggestions on the involvement of glutamate in memory came from electrophysiological studies on LTP that is blocked by NMDA-antagonists. Then Morris and colleagues (1986) provided the first evidence that icv infusion of the competitive NMDA antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) to rats, inhibits both LTP in vivo and spatial learning in a Morris water maze. This was followed by a great amount of evidence confirming the initial finding in various learning tasks. The present paper is devoted to critical review of the literature focusing on the following problems: which glutamate receptors are involved?, in which tests NMDA antagonists inhibit learning?; which types of memory are affected?; which brain structures are involved?; do NMDA receptor antagonists invariably impair learning?; is the effect of NMDA receptors antagonists on learning specific?; does the stimulation of NMDA receptors result in cognitive enhancement?.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Merz + Co, P.O. Box 11 13 53, D-60048, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Danysz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Archer