PSY396H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Vesicular Acetylcholine Transporter, Neurotransmitter
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Nootropics: drugs that improve cognitive function: some act on the cholinergic system, others influence aa nt glutamate, the doogie mouse has genetically modified glutamate receptors (nmda); and exhibits enhanced learning and memory. Ampakines that target another glutamate receptor, ampa, is also a potential cognitive enhancer. Glutamatergic neurons use glutamate as the transmitter, and have even greater concentrations than other cells in the brain: thought to segregate the glutamate used for transmission from glutamate used for other functions. Glutamate is synthesized from glutamine by glutaminase which requires atp: there are three different vesicular glutamate transporters which move glutamate into synaptic vesicles: vglut1, vglut2, vglut3. These transporters are only found in cells that use glutamate as a nt. Glutamatergic neurons generally posess either vglut1 or vglut2, while vglut3 is less abundant. Vglut1 primarily in the cortex and hippocampus, vglut2 expression found mostly in subcortical structures. Vglut 2 knockout mice die immediately after birth glutamate signaling in.
