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Glutamate and its role in psychiatric illness
Author(s) -
Belsham Brendan
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.279
Subject(s) - glutamate receptor , neuroscience , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , neurotransmitter , nmda receptor , psychology , neurotransmitter receptor , mental illness , bipolar disorder , psychiatry , receptor , central nervous system , medicine , cognition , mental health
Glutamate, a dicarboxylic amino acid, is the most abundantly active neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain; it is also the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the cerebral cortex. As our knowledge of this neurotransmitter deepens, it is increasingly being implicated in the pathophysiology of mental illness. This review begins by examining the physiology of glutamate and its receptors. Its role in memory, movement, perception and neuronal development is discussed. The development of the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia is traced, and the emerging lines of evidence for attenuated function of the N ‐methyl‐ D ‐aspartate receptor in schizophrenia are examined. For ease of discussion, these are divided into pharmacological, post‐mortem, imaging, platelet and genetic studies. Interactions between glutamate and other neurotransmitters are discussed, as are possible mechanisms by which such altered receptor activity might result in the clinical expression of schizophrenia. The possible role of glutamate in major depression and bipolar disorder is explored. The review concludes by highlighting the importance of avoiding a reductionist approach to the pathophysiology of any mental illness. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.