excitatory amino acid

Excitatory amino acids are a class of amino acids that act as neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The primary excitatory amino acids are glutamic acid (glutamate) and aspartic acid (aspartate). Glutamate is the most abundant amino acid in the brain and plays a crucial role in neuronal signaling.12

These amino acids function by depolarizing the postsynaptic membrane, which increases the likelihood of a neuron firing an action potential. They achieve this by opening non-specific cation channels, allowing positively charged ions like sodium (Na+) and calcium (Ca2+) to enter the neuron. The N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor is a well-characterized receptor for glutamate. Glutamate and aspartate are typically cleared from the synaptic cleft by uptake systems at presynaptic terminals and surrounding glial cells.1