Open AccessDesensitization at the Interface
Author(s) -
James R. Howe
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
acs chemical biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.899
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1554-8937
pISSN - 1554-8929
DOI - 10.1021/cb6004382
Subject(s) - desensitization (medicine) , excitatory postsynaptic potential , ion channel , neuroscience , glutamate receptor , biophysics , neurotransmission , ligand gated ion channel , chemistry , biology , receptor , biochemistry , inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Normal brain function requires the faithful transmission and integration of information on a timescale of milliseconds, and this rapid signaling is mediated by cell membrane receptors that are ligand-gated ion channels. Fast excitatory transmission occurs when synaptically released glutamate opens channels in neighboring neurons, but these channels desensitize rapidly during sustained high-frequency firing. Recent structural data have begun to provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie channel activation and desensitization.