Question

Explain the role of glutamate and AMPA/NMDA receptor interaction in the promotion of pyramidal cell excitability, accompanied by spine formation, in the hippocampus.

Answer 1

Activation of AMPA/NMDA receptors by glutamate opens cation-selective channels that are characterized by high permeability to calcium ions. The influx of Ca2+ generates excitatory postsynaptic currents at excitatory synapses with a slow time course. As a result, in pyramidal neurons, NMDA receptors regulate the development and plasticity of glutamatergic synapses. The disruption of NMDA receptors in the hippocampus causes the blockade of synaptic plasticity impairing memory.