Pharmacology Notes

Glutamate
Glutamate is an amino acid, however, not one of the essential amino acids.It is a key molecule in cellular metabolism. Glutamate plays an important role in the body’s disposal of excess or waste nitrogen. It is important for the ability to perceive taste sensations. Glutamate is distributed throughout the CNS. It is considered the major excitatory CNS neurotransmitter. It can stimulate a number of receptor types in the brain and spinal cord. Glutamate is involved in the facilitation of learning and memory. Th e brain is very vulnerable to glutamate-mediated over-excitation. Th is results in excitotoxicity, which causes cell integrity to be disrupted and nerve cells to die. Excitotoxicity has been demonstrated in strokes and some neuro-degenerative diseases. Glutamate has also been implicated in the development of epilepsy (see Chapter 9).